Finding the Way Forward
by Accidentally The Whole Fanfic
Summary: Three youths move to Oak Tree Town on the verge of adulthood - each one an outsider in their own way, setting out on their own paths in life under their own circumstances. When those paths begin to cross over and influence each other, they all find that they might have some growing up to do if they want to find their way forward in life. Slash, M later. Heavy themes present.
1. Outset

Chapter 1: Outset

* * *

 **December 15, 2015**

Watching the painters roll stripes of Tiffany blue across the walls of the large, sunny guest bedroom, Elise Hightower folded her arms and nodded in satisfaction as the old paint color was gradually covered up. "Ah, this looks _much_ better... honestly, who in the world let me pick _cornflower_ the first time around? That's the sort of color you pick for your _grandmother,_ " she sniffed, tossing her heavy blonde braid over her shoulder, and letting her critical green eyes flit sharply about the room for signs of anything amiss.

Settling her gaze on the far wall, she folded her arms and hummed, letting the noise trail along with the strains of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" for a few moments before settling on her decision:

"Oh, Guillermo?" she sang, ignoring the slight flinch the head painter gave at her call. "A moment, please, if you would?"

"Of course, Miss Elise," Guillermo sighed, handing his roller off to another nearby worker and giving her instructions in rapid Spanish. After exchanging nods, he jammed his hands in his pockets and strolled towards Elise, trying to hold in an exasperated sigh. "Everything okay, ma'am?"

"Oh, everything's fine, just about," Elise responded breezily, rubbing her chin and cocking her head. "Aside from the fact that you just called me 'ma'am.' Don't do that again. Regardless," she continued, as Guillermo pursed his lips and shrugged, "you're all doing a rather decent job of things, I must admit. Just..."

Guillermo raised his eyebrows, waiting for the other shoe to drop as Elise made a rectangle with her thumbs and forefingers, peering through it at the wall she was facing. "...Just...?" he prompted carefully.

"Well, the thing is... I know this is the third time we've changed the color in here," Elise began, closing one eye and sucking thoughtfully on her teeth as she continued peering through her little rectangle, "but... upon further consideration, I fear that so _much_ blue might be a bit overwhelming after all. Even if it is a lovely shade. I know Bridget adores it, but... I'm thinking that I may actually commit to that cream accent wall Mother suggested, after all. You've still got that color laying about somewhere?" she asked, getting a weary nod in response.

"Got it in the closet, Miss Elise. As usual."

"Ah, excellent! Well, just tell your crew to leave that wall and start with the new color later on, then, unless I change my mind again. Not that I see that happening _this_ time... and I suppose I'll need to find Raul and ask him to send that carpeting back," she went on to herself, missing as Guillermo rolled his eyes and mimed shooting himself in the head, before waving his hands at the painters working the aforementioned wall and relaying Elise's instructions. "Now, I think we'll be wanting something nice and bold to go with this, instead," Elise continued thoughtfully, strolling out into the hallway and trying to decide where to inspect next. "Chocolate-brown hardwood, perhaps? Or maybe something lighter and airier..."

"Oh, now don't tell me you've gone and changed your mind _again,_ " a woman's voice teased from behind her, prompting Elise to spin around with a startled gasp.

"Mother!" she chided, hand over her heart as the taller, older blonde woman chuckled and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Oh, honestly, I'll never get why you love sneaking up on people so much."

"Because it's fun, sweetheart!" Meredith Hightower exclaimed, giving Elise a quick peck on the cheek and watching the little smile that formed there. Whipping off her fluffy white ushanka and smoothing out her shaggy blonde bob, she waved to a passing worker as she started off down the hall with Elise in tow. "Besides, it's a good kind of scare - lunch is here, and it's being served down in the kitchen. I just thought I'd let you all know. And this place is shaping up rather nicely, too," she added with an approving hum, the heels of her white fur boots clacking loudly with each step. "You aren't giving the workers too much trouble, I hope?"

"Me? Of course not! I've been pleasantly surprised by the results thus far, I'll admit," Elise responded, stopping by yet another bedroom to peer in at the progress being made, and nodding in satisfaction. "Really, I expected quite a bit more trouble than I've actually encountered. At worst, one of them ordered the wrong marble for the kitchen countertops and had the gall to tell me that _I'd_ requested it, and another one copped an attitude with me when I changed my mind about having a skylight out here. And it's funny, because I don't recall mouthing off being part of their job description... they're lucky I try not to fire people this close to Christmas," she finished with a long-suffering sigh. "As it is, I think they'll be seeing a smaller bonus than everyone else."

"Mmmm." Eyebrow going up thoughtfully as they entered the empty sunroom, Meredith headed over to one of the recently-sanded window seats, checking it for splinters before sitting down and scooting over, patting the empty spot in invitation. While Elise sat down next to her and smoothed out her bubblegum-pink pantsuit, Meredith took a moment to admire the view from the windows: Snow settling on the window frames outside; the trees and grass of the sprawling estate gleaming like silvery-white crystals in the early-afternoon sun; and the hills that rose far to the north, shrouded in an icy mist, with the Piedmont River glittering through as it flowed down the hillside, curving gently to the west.

"Well, I know I've said it before, but this is a beautiful little town you've chosen to settle in," she observed with a little smile, lined violet eyes squinting as she watched the workers outside milling in and out of the barns, coops, and sheds that dotted the western side of the estate. "I only wish we could've gotten everything finished in time for your birthday, or Christmas. Just imagine how gorgeous this place will look next year, when you can decorate it!"

She smiled, remembering how quaint and cozy Oak Tree had looked, strung up with lights, wreaths, and garland - and an inflatable Santa Claus in the center of the trading depot. It had apparently been placed there by the innkeeper, going by what one of the locals had told her - and while Elise had most likely found it horrifyingly tacky, with its vinyl face all lit up and ho-ho-ho-ing at the scant few shoppers milling through the depot, Meredith couldn't help but find it charming. "I suppose setbacks are always inevitable, though. Especially if there are _constant_ changes for everyone to take into account," she added pointedly, though Elise didn't seem to notice the emphasis.

Now gazing out the windows as well, Elise shrugged. "Hmmm... I guess it's a bit of a shame - but I don't fancy spending the holidays supervising all the moving, and unpacking, and all those little finishing touches. Come to think of it, I suppose we should give _them_ the holidays off, too," she mused, tapping her chin.

"Ahhh - well, of course we should!" Meredith agreed, looking a little taken aback at her daughter's ambivalence on the matter. With a heavy sigh, she patted Elise's shoulder. "Besides, your father should be back next Wednesday... I know you wanted him to be there for your birthday, sweetheart," she went on sympathetically, catching the brief flash of disappointment in her daughter's eyes, "but he had a last-minute meeting scheduled in Tokyo on Monday, and... he insists he absolutely can't miss it." She frowned a bit at this, before shaking her head resignedly. "But, he says we'll have him back in time for Christmas... so how about we just make your birthday a girls' night, eh? You, me, and Bridget, painting the town red? Hmm? Raise a little Hell?" Chuckling and nudging Elise a few times, Meredith eventually managed to pull a grudging smile from her, and a little shrug.

"That _does_ sound like fun," Elise admitted after a moment, though a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her of how her father had made absolutely sure to be there for Bridget's birthday earlier in the year. Part of her wanted to lay this very fact out for her mother to justify, but - with another sidelong glance that showed her mother was just as downcast about it as she was - Elise choked back her irritation and got to her feet, forcing the smile back onto her face. "Well... I suppose we'd better start planning for it soon, then, hmm? Unless you'd rather surprise me?"

Meredith tapped her lips in mock-thought for a moment, hearing the strains of "Blue Christmas" beginning to drift in from the hallway, and grinned. "Ahhh... I think I'll just conspire with Bridget to surprise you. Think of it as having two Christmases - double the surprise!"

"A pony would be very surprising," Elise hinted hopefully, helping her mother to her feet as they walked over to one of the windows to look out over the town. "Since I can't exactly bring the Lexus here."

"You could _name_ this alleged pony 'Lexus,'" Meredith pointed out, causing Elise to giggle. "Of course, that's assuming you're _getting_ a pony. I don't know, now that you brought it up - would you really be all that surprised by one? I prefer it when people don't know what to expect. The reactions are much more amusing. For instance... what if a buff young Latin man popped out of your cake instead?"

Elise blanched at this. "Oh, dear God! Let Bridget handle the planning if _that's_ your best idea!"

"I suppose I could just save that one for _my_ next birthday, then," Meredith mused, chortling at the sound of Elise gagging.

"I do _not_ need to be hearing this!" Pulling a face at the mental image and tutting, Elise placed a hand on the windowsill and sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to languish in anticipation for another week?"

"That's the plan, yes." Wrapping an arm around Elise, Meredith pulled her in close for a side-hug, letting her smile soften when she felt Elise's head lean on her shoulder. "We really are going to miss you, sweetheart. I can't believe it... my baby's going to be setting out on her own soon."

"Oh, come now..." Elise returned the hug and shook her head. "Well, of course, you'll all be welcome any time! You saw Bridget's room, right? And yours and Father's?"

Meredith nodded. "Of course, and they look very wonderful-"

"-And, of course I'll have the servants here to help me run this place," Elise went on, looking up at her mother with confidence, "so it's not like I'll be completely by myself out here, after all."

Her mother clucked her tongue. "I know, sweetheart. It's just..." She paused, mulling over her next words carefully. "...Well, you know how it is," she finally went on with a little shrug. She wasn't sure whether Elise had missed the point about her being alone, or if she was simply dodging it - knowing how Elise was, she suspected the latter - but decided not to press the issue much. Her youngest daughter had never been much of a people person, and she certainly didn't care to feel pressured to socialize, either. "It's a mom thing," she continued, stroking her daughter's hair and shrugging the shoulder Elise was leaning on. "We worry about our kids, even when they're all grown up and ready to take on the world. We want them to succeed, to grow, to be happy... I know you _will_ , but I still worry. I did the same when Bridget left home, you know. Fret and drive your father crazy, start getting more gray hairs, start nagging you two to make me a grandmother..."

Elise gave her mother a light shove and laughed. "God, Mother! I'm only turning eighteen - I'd really rather not think about that just yet!"

Bumping Elise back gently, Meredith shook her head. "I know, I know. But... either way, you'll understand when you become a mother yourself someday. Whether or not I nag you into it."

"I suppose so, when I'm ready," Elise mumbled, snuggling back against her mother's shoulder and feeling her heart warm - even with her father stuck overseas until Christmas, she still had her mother, and she still had her sister. At least, for a little while longer. She'd be fine. "Now, I should probably get back to my inspections... care to join me?" Even as she asked, she was already halfway across the room, her mother following close behind with an amused expression. "Jingle Bell Rock" was playing on the radio now, and the sounds of a few of the workers chattering and singing along with it floated out from the nearby parlor. "And I guess we can let the rest of them know lunch is here, if they don't know already - but I just wanted your input on a few things. They're installing the flooring in the library right now, and they've started on the fireplace in the den - but now I'm not so sure about the design I settled on..."

* * *

 **February 19, 2016**

"Open your eyes... _kono me ni mieru subete no kimi ni..._ "

Bobbing his head to the dance beat pulsing through his earbuds, Johnny Weiss's fingers flew rapidly over his keyboard, humming softly as his dark blue eyes repeatedly flicked back-and-forth between his monitor, the open binder to his left, and the open geography book to his right. He allowed himself a small, self-satisfied grin as he popped open another energy drink and took a deep swig - by his observations, he was well ahead of schedule. The paper was almost insultingly easy - if he kept up at the rate he'd been going, he'd be looking at having his whole Saturday night free, at the very least.

"Gotta feel emotion, gotta show you emotion! _Mou kowagaranaide, watashi dake no ima wo..."_

Lost in his work and his music, it took Johnny a few moments to pull his head out of the clouds and notice something amiss, humming trailing off and eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he tried to figure out just _what_ was nagging at him.

When the light from his bedside lamp began flickering on-and-off quickly, he jumped a bit and swore, spinning around in his chair to find that the "what" that was nagging at him was his older brother, tall and lanky frame leaning in the doorway with his fingers resting on the light switch. A half-exasperated, half-amused expression was on his face, and he was mouthing something that was barely audible.

"Cute, Jesse, really fucking cute," Johnny griped, causing Jesse's smirk to widen a bit. He popped his earbuds out and sighed, raising his eyebrows in silent question.

Jesse shrugged in response, flicking his head to toss his own shaggy blond bangs out of his eyes. "Hey, I tried. I knocked, I called out for you, and you juuuust missed the marching band - not my fault you zone out and play your weaboo crap so loud all the time." He nodded to the earbuds, from which the music could still be clearly heard blaring. "Shit, you're gonna make yourself deaf one day. You know that?"

Rolling his eyes, Johnny spun back around to face his computer, resuming his typing and beckoning over his shoulder for Jesse to come in. "Good. I won't have to hear you bitch at me. So," he went on, hearing his bed creak as Jesse plopped down on it and leaned forward to peer over his shoulder, "there something I can help you with? Did you come to just sit around and call me a _weeeeeeeeeb?"_ He dragged the word out in an exaggeratedly nasal tone, popping the "b" out and chuckling when he felt Jesse give him a light shove on the back of his head. "Or are you just here to check on my homework and annoy the shit out of me?"

" _Your_ homework, right. My ass it is," Jesse huffed, grabbing the back of his brother's chair and spinning it back around unceremoniously, making the younger boy wobble a bit. Ignoring Johnny's annoyed groan, he went on: "Well, aside from the fact that I just got home from work - hi, by the way, today was fine - I was gonna ask you if you could help me with the dishes real quick, so I can get dinner started soon. I'm making enchiladas."

"I guess I could, yeah," Johnny mused, shrugging - though his mouth had already started watering at the promise of enchiladas. "Just gimme a sec? I've gotta finish up this paragraph real quick, at least. Also, hi."

"You can finish up the paragraph _later,_ " Jesse insisted, pulling Johnny's chair away from his desk before his brother could spin back around and resume working. "Or - better yet - how about _never,_ since it's not even y... oh, Jesus Christ, is that _Chelsea's_ name I'm seeing?" he added in a groan, burying his face in his palms and shaking his head. "That mouth-breathing half-wit, I swear to _God._ "

Arms folded over his chest, Johnny hummed and tilted his head. "No kidding. You should see her try to haggle down my prices, shit's pathetic... probably a bad time to tell you she has the hots for you, huh?" he added, snickering as his brother slumped down in further despondency. The response was muffled:

"Ew. Stop it."

"I said the same thing when she started drooling over you," Johnny agreed, cringing a bit. Twisting around for a moment, he shut off the music and hopped out of his chair, nudging Jesse to get up so they could head to the kitchen. "Still doing the paper, though. She paid in advance, and she _is_ counting on me..."

Peering crossly at his little brother through his fingers, Jesse let out a resigned sigh and pushed his hair back as he got up, hands coming to rest on the back of his head. "Of _course_ ," he muttered under his breath, turning the tap on once they reached the sink. "Jesus, Johnny-"

"-Alright, alright - just an FYI, I don't need another one of your damn lectures," Johnny interrupted sourly, a warning tone in his voice as he grabbed a sponge and some soap and began working at the pile of dirty plates and utensils. Next to him, Jesse gripped the edge of the counter and slumped down, grumbling under his breath again. "You're making it sound like I broke a promise to you or something. I don't see why you've gotta bitch so much about it, anyway. I'm helping pay the rent, right? At least we're not out on the streets - I make some decent money off of this."

"And you just _can't_ think of better ways to help out with that?" Jesse snapped, snatching a freshly-washed plate from Johnny's hands and drying it off roughly. He plunked it into the rack with a disgruntled noise. "Something that's actually _ethical_?"

"Well, it beats sweeping up peoples' hair at a salon, or having to wear a stupid costume and hold a sign on the street all day!" Johnny pointed out heatedly. "It's not like I even slack off at this, or rip them off or anything - I'm helping them out! They get A's pretty much all the time! Except for Rudy's geology paper," he added, more to himself than to his brother, "but he was cool about it - he told me that professor was a dick anyway..."

"How the hell are you _helping_ them?" Jesse sputtered, hands held out in confusion. " _Cheating_ isn't gonna help them, Johnny! I don't care if you don't _want_ another lecture, because you're still getting one. They won't learn anything - you're just keeping them stupid! Let their lazy asses fail, they deserve it! Christ, why don't you ever want to listen to me?" he went on, rumpling his hair again in agitation. "I'm not saying you have to go back to either of those other jobs, just... _some_ kind of work that's actually honest, not _this_ shit! You're smart enough that you're constantly getting A's for everyone else, why don't you take _your_ A back to school and get a degree or something?"

Screwing up his face, Johnny scoffed derisively. "Cute, Jess. What, were you saving that one?"

Jesse threw the towel down and shut the water off, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes. Though he was only twenty-two, he suddenly looked as though he'd aged about ten years in the short span of their argument. "Look, don't change the subject - seriously, I don't know how many times I have to tell you to get a _real_ job, or do _something. Something that isn't this,"_ he elaborated pointlessly, when Johnny opened his mouth to speak. "I know your old jobs sucked, but I don't _care_ if this kind of crap helps us out, it's - it's not _right._ You're just teaching them it's okay to be lazy and expect everyone else-"

"-To do the work for them, and I'm nineteen, so I should know right from wrong by now - I _know_ , Jesse," Johnny finished in a dull tone. "Fine, Captain America, what do _you_ suggest I do? That _doesn't_ involve going back to school," he added pointedly, "because I don't really want the student loan debts, and high school sucked enough for me."

Turning around, Jesse leaned back against the counter and folded his arms, looking up at the ceiling. "For starters, college is different from high school," he started slowly, chewing on his lower lip and causing Johnny's suspicions to be immediately roused. "Besides, _I'm_ still going to school, and you know _damn_ well that high school wasn't any easier on me than it was on you. Hell, you _probably_ could've gotten a scholarship if you'd actually tried."

"...You didn't try and sign me up, did you?" Johnny uttered, face darkening as he mimicked his brother's posture. When Jesse shook his head, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "...Jesse, out with it. What exactly _did_ you do?"

After chewing his lip in silence a bit longer, Jesse finally cleared his throat and cast Johnny a sideways glance. "Well... look, it's nothing you _have_ to do, but I really think it'd-"

" _Out with it,_ " Johnny repeated impatiently, rolling his eyes and drumming his fingers on the counter.

"Okay, okay!" Hands raised defensively, Jesse shook his head. "Well, I got back in touch with Aunt Ronnie recently, and - see... there's this old farm there they've been restoring over in Oak Tree. They've been kind of hoping to get someone to run it, help the economy out and all. Just for a little while, and you don't have to stay there forever if you don't like it, you know?"

Silence fell over the tiny apartment as Johnny gaped at him for a few seconds, blinking slowly.

"...Didn't see that one coming," he muttered after a moment, his expression gradually morphing into a scowl. "A _farmer,_ seriously? Like, sticking my hand up pregnant cows' butts and stuff?"

Shooting Johnny a completely bewildered look, Jesse gesticulated pointlessly, sputtering for the words. "... _What?_ " he finally managed, throwing his hands out in disbelief. "You hear 'farm' and _that's_ where your mind immediately goes?! Are you _serious_ right now, or no?"

"Are _you_?" Johnny shot back, though his face was now burning with embarrassment - admittedly, that _had_ been a pretty stupid connection for his mind to jump to, but that wasn't really the point he was trying to make. As it was, he was still a little surprised that their aunt even gave a damn about them - she certainly hadn't done so while they'd been struggling to keep a roof over their heads for the past seven years. He couldn't help but wonder why she'd bothered now. "C'mon, you want me to become some pitchfork-wielding hick in overalls? _That's_ your idea to get me in line?"

"Look, at least it's an honest job," Jesse reasoned, putting his hands on his brother's shoulders and looking right at him, hoping to placate him. "There's not a whole lot of work there right now, but I think it'd be good for you - teach you some responsibility and discipline, make some actual friends... Hell, you need to learn to look out for yourself, _everyone_ does. What you're doing right now... I mean, you're better than that, let's be real." Seeing Johnny's expression soften, he went on: "And I know I haven't done a great job raising you or anything, but I really, _really_ do want what's best for you."

Sighing in resignation, Johnny pulled his brother into a hug and patted his back. "Alright, I'll give it a try, if you think it'll help," he conceded grudgingly, looking up at Jesse and getting a small smile in return when they pulled apart. "And don't be so hard on yourself - you _have_ done a great job, especially considering everything that happened." Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, he hunched his shoulders and looked away with a guilty expression. "If anything, I really do kind of owe you for all you've done-"

"-Hey, I didn't do all that because I wanted you to _owe_ me anything," Jesse interrupted softly, clapping him on the shoulder. "But I'll call Aunt Ronnie after dinner and let her know you'll be coming. She told me that if you agreed to it, things should be about ready in... a couple weeks, I think. I'll ask her. Man, if she's anything like I remember, she is going to _hate_ your hair," he added with a smirk, reaching up to muss his brother's short, blond fauxhawk and getting an annoyed grunt in response. He snickered and grabbed Johnny's wrist as the younger boy tried to swat his hand away, giving him a noogie with his other fist. "Nice try, small fry! Maybe I'll just find the clippers and... _zzzzzzt!_ "

"Do it and I'll punch you right in the dick," Johnny threatened, finally pushing Jesse away and grumbling as he reached up to fix his hair. As he did so, a few more questions floated to the front of his mind: "So... how long am I looking at doing this, anyway? And what're you gonna do about the rent and stuff in the meantime?"

"Well... I guess a couple months?" Jesse suggested, shrugging as they turned back to the sink and resumed washing the dishes once more. "Just to get a real feel for it, see what you think... maybe longer, depending on how stuff goes. And Carl's still looking for a roommate, last I checked, so I'll probably give him a call later tonight and see about that."

Lips pressed into a thin line, Johnny exhaled through his nostrils and shut his eyes. He almost wanted to kick himself for getting roped into agreeing with this, but he did owe Jesse - despite his brother's protests to the contrary. Still, aside from work and school, he couldn't ever remember being _really_ apart from Jesse, especially after all they'd gone through together. Hell, Jesse was the only _friend_ he could remember ever really having. The idea was making him antsy, but Jesse had a point - he _would_ have to learn to take care of himself someday.

"A few months... alright," he agreed reluctantly. "As long as I can just finish the papers I've got lined up - _please?_ It's only Chelsea's and two others," he pleaded, upon seeing exasperated glare his brother shot at him. "They're paying me really good money to do them, and I gave all of them my word I'd get them done. I finish those, and that's it for me - I'll even text them and let them know I'm not gonna be doing this for them anymore. I _promise._ "

Drumming his fingers on his elbows, Jesse set his jaw and grimaced as he looked up at the ceiling, and then back over to Johnny. "...Damn it... alright, deal. _Just_ those last few papers," he repeated sternly.

"Awesome, thanks... hey, you don't wanna maybe swap, do you?" Johnny added, cracking a small grin as he handed a freshly-washed tumbler to his brother to dry. "I can go live with Carl and enjoy some free cake, you can go do the farming thing."

"Where exactly did you get the idea that Carl gives out free cake?" Jesse wanted to know, rolling his eyes. "Because he works at a bakery?"

"...I'm guessing that's a no, then," Johnny grumbled, sighing in disappointment. "Well... I guess I could always try seducing him for free food."

With a revolted expression, Jesse whapped his brother upside the head with the dish towel. "Oh, gross. I did _not_ need that mental image, you little perv. You're grounded from talking. Forever."

Ducking another blow from the towel, Johnny chuckled and shoved his brother lightly, before grabbing the baking pan and beginning to scrub it out. "Hey, Carl's kinda cute, though! Yeah, see - I'll just tell him he makes my dough rise, and-"

Now cringing and gagging, Jesse clapped a hand over Johnny's mouth. "Gah, stop it! Okay, change of plans, dickweed. _I'm_ having enchiladas for dinner, and _you're_ drinking the dish water to wash out that horrible mouth of yours."

"Aww, crap," Johnny mumbled from behind the hand, snorting nonetheless at Jesse's disgust, and handing the now-clean pan over for him to dry.

* * *

 **March 5, 2016**

The train station bustled with activity in the brisk March morning, with families, couples, and friends milling about. Greetings and farewells were exchanged, tickets were sold and punched and discarded, and Fritz Kassmeyer found himself locked in the tightest hug he'd ever known in his life. He wasn't quite sure he could breathe properly, with his mother doing her best impression of a human corset.

Watching as his son's face started to go a bit pink from the pressure, Gerald Kassmeyer gently shook his wife's shoulder and cleared his throat. "C'mon, Mona, you're gonna kill the poor kid before he even boards the train!"

"S'fine," Fritz grunted, giving his father a strained grin and a thumbs-up. "Geez... you're... friggin' strong, Mama!"

Sniffling, Mona pulled away from her son and shot him a watery smile, brushing his shaggy red bangs back from his forehead. "Look at my little man, going off to live his dream! Oh, and I never did get around to cutting your hair before we left - you find yourself a good barber when you get there, alright, honey?" she ordered, giving him another peck on his freckled cheek.

Fritz scrunched his nose up, patting at the unruly crop of hair and shrugging. "Ahh, my hair's fine, Mama-"

"-And you _call_ us when you get there! Or text us if it's really late, you've got your phone all charged up?" Mona continued sternly, watching as Fritz rolled his eyes good-naturedly and nodded, patting the pocket of his cargo pants.

"'Course I do! Aaaaand," he cut in, before his mother could fire off another burst of reminders, "I'm gonna remember to take breaks and eat, and do my laundry, and be careful with my money, and-"

"-Get so drunk you run naked through the town," his father cut in casually, getting a nod and a point from Fritz.

"Right, and get so drunk I run na-wait, what?" Fritz blinked in confusion for a moment, before cracking a grin at his father's snickering. "Ahh - nice try, old man!"

His father's bushy brown mustache twitched, and his dark eyes twinkled mirthfully. "Heh. Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"

"Gerald!" Mona scolded, smacking her husband on the arm and drawing a few amused stares from the other people in the station. She rolled her eyes and tutted. "Good Lord, don't give him such bad ideas!"

"I didn't give him any bad ideas!" Gerald protested, rubbing his arm and still chuckling. "I gave him a pretty damn good one, if you ask me!"

Mona turned a pleading look at her son - with her frizzy red bun in disarray, and the exasperation written across her face, she looked almost comically frazzled. "Take him with you, I'm begging you. He's going to drive _me_ to drink!"

"You gonna run naked through town?" Gerald asked her slyly, giving his eyebrows a suggestive wiggle and getting a long-suffering sigh in response. "Alright, alright - guess you'd better get on that train before you have to watch Mommy kill Daddy," he added to Fritz, slipping an arm around his wife's shoulders and watching as the conductor stepped out to call the next passengers aboard:

"Cascade Springs, Archeton Cove, Twin Bluffs, and Oak Tree/Castanet Regional! All aboard! Last call for boarding in five!"

Biting at his lower lip, Fritz looked over his shoulder and nodded, hoisting his bags up on his shoulder. "Yeah... guess so, huh?" Turning back around, he gave his parents a wobbly little smile and pulled them back into one last, long hug, feeling his father pat his back. "Love you guys. Try not to piss Mama off too much, alright, Papa?" he whispered, drawing quiet laughter from all of them. "And try not to kill Papa, alright, Mama?"

"We'll behave, honey," his mother assured him, reaching up to ruffle his hair and smiling as he squirmed out of her reach and protested lightly. "You write us or call us when you can, alright? And send us pictures of the farm when you've got it up and running!"

Fritz patted one of his bags and nodded. "Yep - got my camera! Alright, then..." A deep breath in, and then out. He swallowed hard and hitched his bags up a little higher, turning to run towards the train and giving his parents one last wave over his shoulder. They flinched when he stumbled at the platform, nearly smacking his face against the side of the train if not for one of the other passengers quickly grabbing him by the back of his green windbreaker to pull him backwards. A quick thanks to the woman who had helped him, and another reassuring thumbs-up to his parents - both of whom were relieved, but shaking their heads at him - and then he was on, right as the conductor started last call for boarding.

Squeezing his way through the passengers that were shuffling about to find a seat, he finally settled towards the back of the car. Swinging his bags into the overhead compartment with a little grunt, he plopped down next to a short, skinny blond boy about his age who was chewing at his thumbnail and bouncing his leg rapidly, eyes glued to the window. His oversized green army jacket and baggy camo pants only served to further the impression that he looked utterly lost, and a small silver hoop glinted in his right earlobe.

"Hey, man!" Fritz greeted, drawing the boy's wary gaze his way. "You don't mind if I sit here, do ya?"

Appearing to mull it over for a second, the boy gave a noncommittal shrug, still chewing at his thumbnail. "...Nah, you're good," he mumbled after a moment, turning back to the window while the train gave a slight jolt.

Fritz nodded cheerfully at this, slouching back comfortably in his seat and folding his hands over his stomach. "Cool, cool. You wanna switch seats or anything? I'm headin' all the way to Oak Tree, so that way it'll be easier for you to get out first if you gotta go before then."

Eyebrows raising at this, the blond boy slumped back in his own seat as well, leg continuing to bounce as he appeared to mull over whether or not to say anything else. "...You're fine," he finally said, pausing while the train whistle blew. The car lurched and shuddered, and soon the platform outside was starting to slowly roll past. "I'm headed there, too, so... it's fine."

"Alrighty, cool! You movin' there, or just stoppin' by to visit someone?" Fritz inquired, before simply barreling on without waiting for a response: "I'm movin' down there, myself. Gonna try startin' up a farm - saw a flyer for this place out there for a pretty sweet deal, figured it sounded really cool and thought, what the hell, we'll see what happens, huh? You can call me Fritz, by the way," he finished, sticking out his hand in introduction.

The other boy eyed Fritz's hand for a few moments before grudgingly shaking it and clearing his throat, giving him a curious gaze. "Johnny. You're heading down there to farm, too, or no?" he asked, eyebrows knitting together when Fritz once again bobbed his head happily. "Huh. I'm moving down there for a little while to help my aunt out with a farm, actually..."

"Nice!" Fritz exclaimed with a wide grin, bright brown eyes lighting up. "Maybe we can be farmin' buddies or somethin', then, huh? I don't know nothin' about it, so if you've got, like, a green thumb or whatever, I'd love some help startin' out!"

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Johnny cleared his throat and looked out the window, watching the early-spring scenery roll by. "Yeeeeah, I'm not really doing this as a... _career_ thing, Fritz. More of a family obligation. I don't know anything about farming yet, either. Sorry."

Waving it off, Fritz clapped Johnny on the shoulder, quickly withdrawing his hand when he noticed the other boy recoil slightly at the contact. "No sweat, man! We all gotta start somewhere - so, you military or somethin'?" he added, pointing at the dog tags he'd noticed dangling over the breast of Johnny's jacket.

Looking back over with a perplexed frown, Johnny's gaze fell to where Fritz was pointing, and gave a little jolt of realization as he settled his hand over the tags. Something changed in his demeanor that Fritz couldn't quite place, and he tucked the tags back into his jacket. "No, this... my dad was in the Army. I just kinda like wearing this stuff sometimes," he explained in a mutter, now picking at the emblem on the sleeve, and missing Fritz's softening expression.

"Ahhh... sorry, man. Didn't mean to bring you down." For a split-second, he moved to give Johnny another friendly pat on the shoulder, but thought better of it as he remembered the blond's earlier reaction to the contact, and simply smiled at him instead. "Ah, well. Least you didn't have to buzz off your hair, then - it's pretty cool! I like it!"

Looking surprised and pleased at the compliment, Johnny looked up and ran his fingers over the strip of short spikes stretching back to the crown of his head. "Oh, uh - thanks? I just saw it on this one singer and thought it looked neat. My aunt's probably gonna hate it, though," he added with a wry grin. "And the earring."

Tapping his lips, Fritz cocked his head to the side, scrunching up his face. "Ahhh, I'm sure she ain't gonna flip her lid over somethin' like that, is she?"

Johnny shrugged, scratching behind his ear and fiddling with the hoop a bit. "Guess I'll find out... haven't seen her since I was a kid, but my brother says she was kind of a hardass." His cheeks puffed out with a little sigh, and he turned back towards the window once more. "Ehhh... I'm sure I'll live, though. Err, anyway," he went on quickly, looking back over at Fritz, "it's been cool talking to you and all, but I didn't really sleep last night, so I wanna try to catch up on that for a little while..." As he said this, Fritz suddenly noticed the faint shadows under his dark blue eyes, and flashed him a thumbs-up in response.

"Ten-four, dude! You catch you some Zs, and I'll wake ya when we get there - actually-" he continued, hopping up out of his seat and standing on his tiptoes to snag one of his bags from the overhead compartment, opening it to dig around, "-think I'm probably gonna... just... where _is_ it? Ah!" With a little effort and a few annoyed grunts, he withdrew an mp3 player and earbuds from the bag, untangling the wires as he sat back down. "I'm just gonna kick back with my tunes for a bit. Nighty-night, Johnny!"

"Uhh... yeah," Johnny replied slowly, watching as Fritz popped the earbuds in and flicked the mp3 player on, starting to bop around cheerfully. "G'night, or... something." Folding his arms over his torso protectively, he hunched in further upon himself and tried to drift off for a little bit as they made their way towards Oak Tree Town.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Another one, yeah. I'm going to see if I can get some catching-up done while things have slowed down a bit for me now, and - another example of "Gotta get this out before I go nuts." I need help.

So, we'll see if I can carry this story well, like I'm wanting to (and to the Shadows readers - and Days Ahead readers, if there's even any crossover here - no worries, I'm still planning to get back onto those shortly). It'll explore some heavy themes down the road, and hopefully it'll go over well with folks altogether. Plus, trying to bring Oak Tree into the 21st century aesthetically will be interesting. I love the game and its cast, and the costumes are admittedly kinda cool, but... uhhh... yeah.

Well, we've got Elise's reign of terror underway in Oak Tree already, and Fritz and Johnny on the way to join her! Will Veronica hate Johnny's Taeyang hair and earring? (There, there's my shameless aesthetic influence for Johnny.) Did Elise's mother order a sexy Latino stripper for her own birthday? Will Fritz's mother get drunk and streak through town?

Feel free to leave a review, if you'd like, and find the answer to probably only one of these questions in chapter 2! See you there!


	2. Frost and Sunshine

Chapter 2: Frost and Sunshine

* * *

The train rolled steadily through the next few cities and towns, the countryside gradually growing brighter and warmer as it slid by outside the windows. On a few occasions, Fritz found himself fighting back the urge to shake Johnny awake, or turn to one of the other passengers, all so he could point out something that he found cool - the distant, sparkling ocean, rolling mountain ranges, small patches of snow still clinging stubbornly to the ground...

He knew he probably looked like some kind of backwater yokel with the way he was gaping out of the window and clicking pictures with his phone - only to find half of them either blurred, or blurred _and_ unintentionally photobombed by his snoozing, scowling seatmate - but he figured it was a better way to channel his excitement than incessantly bopping around in his seat to the music blaring from his mp3 player and almost elbowing Johnny in the face. Though he still couldn't help but bounce around a _little_ bit as each new rhythm nagged more and more at his body... and a little bit more. Soon, he was back to his dance routines, the hopeless stabs at photography quickly forgotten.

"If you're hurtiiiin', if you're hurtiiiin', you can! Lay it allll on meeee~!"

Here, Fritz held his hands out before placing them over his heart, bouncing about and bobbing his head to the beat, either oblivious to or just not caring about the odd stares his little performance was getting from some of the other passengers. "You can! Lay it all on meeeeeee~!"

Though he was singing as softly as he could manage, he nonetheless saw Johnny crack an eye open, blinking blearily at him and mouthing something he couldn't quite hear - though it looked suspiciously like 'Jesus Christ, shut up.'

"Whuzzat again, man?" Fritz asked cheerfully, popping an earbud out and pausing the song. "Sorry, couldn't hear ya."

"Small wonders," Johnny grumbled irritably, stretching his arms above his head and grunting with the _pop_ of his vertebrae. He turned and stared out the window, frowning and blinking hard in the late-afternoon sunlight. "Mmm... forget it. Couldn't sleep anyway."

"Oh... err..." Biting at his lip, Fritz rubbed the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly - from what he could tell, Johnny _did_ look even more exhausted and troubled than he had only a few hours ago, when they'd first met. Maybe he was a crappy travel buddy? _Piss off the first new person I meet, ain't even in town yet. Good going, kiddo!_ "Sorry if my bouncin' kept ya up," he offered apologetically, taking out his other earbud now and letting them dangle over his shoulders. "I'm just all... keyed up, y'know? Feel like I could outrun this train to Oak Tree right about now, not even break a sweat."

Waving it off, Johnny shrugged and gave a noncommittal hum. He had to admit to himself, he knew the feeling all too well. He just didn't know it right this very second. "Yeah, well... you'll be fine. Probably want to store up that energy to get your farm started real quick, don't you?"

Fritz cracked a broad grin, lacing his own fingers in front of him and stretching his arms with a satisfied noise. "What, tonight?! Helllll naw, dude! I'm gonna check the place out, maybe meet a couple more folks first, unpack, grab me some grub - I start workin' on that farm tonight, I'll be up till,... like... four or somethin'! Prolly find my skinny ass passed out and droolin' outside come mornin'. Buncha crows flyin' around and peckin' at my carcass."

Snorting at the mental image - as well as the bizarrely grim turn Fritz's little spiel had taken - Johnny raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to respond when Fritz cut him off excitedly:

"Ooh, actually - now that I mention it, y'think we got us some scarecrows out there?! I wouldn't mind buyin' one myself, if I gotta, but they look so freakin' cool!"

Blinking quietly as his tired mind tried to play catch-up with Fritz's zig-zagging train of thought, Johnny suppressed a shudder - personally, scarecrows creeped the living hell out of him. Even the cutesy, smiley ones. Still, Fritz looked so ridiculously, pitifully hopeful...

"Sure, Fritz, whatever," Johnny finally mumbled, rolling his eyes and sighing. "And a tin man, and a lion. And a little dog, too."

Fritz scoffed and went to give Johnny a light shove - then thought better of it as he recalled how the other boy had flinched earlier when he'd been clapped on the shoulder. Seeing the brief, wary glance Johnny gave him as he dropped his hand, he chuckled. "Alrighty, ya smartass. Guess I'll let ya get back to your nappin', huh?"

"No point," Johnny groused, thumbing out the window - the Castanet/Oak Tree Regional Station was now visible in the distance, and they could see a train departing from the station and heading the opposite direction as they neared the platform. A little farther off, hills began to swell upwards from the ground to meet a low mountain range. He cringed a bit at Fritz's muffled, excited squeal, and went on: "I know my aunt's supposed to meet us there - well, she's supposed to meet _me_ there, but... probably you, too," he muttered with a little shrug.

Blinking owlishly, Fritz put a brief pause on his hype to throw Johnny a questioning glance. "Me? Whyzzat, though?"

"She's basically the mayor - or Guildmistress, whatever," Johnny explained almost-dismissively, and Fritz was a bit surprised at the news - as well as the sight of Johnny's face darkening a little while he started fiddling with his dad's dog tags. "Veronica DeSilva, probably reviewed your application, yeah?"

The light clicked on under Fritz's shaggy red mop, and he snapped his fingers with a broad grin. "Ohhh, right, right! Yeah, her! She _is_ s'posed to meet me, yep. So, what, she own a farm or somethin'? You gonna be livin' with her?"

"Ahhh... no." Johnny shook his head, his jaw set in a slight grimace as he kept jingling the tags in his hand. "She lives in town - think there's, like... five farms up there? Counting yours and mine, anyway... I think one of them actually just started a few months ago. Some huge estate, from what my brother mentioned. Some rich family's daughter had a giant mansion built there."

Fritz's already-wide eyes grew even larger at this news, and he suddenly launched himself over a startled Johnny to press his face to the window as the train slowed down to the station, as though the mansion itself would be waiting on the platform to greet them. "Seriously?!" he chirped, face smushed against the window - beneath him, Johnny had shrunk back instinctively, arms over his head as he cringed and shut his eyes. " _Awesome!_ I've always wanted to see a big, fancy place like that - think she'd give us a tour?"

Opening one eye, and then the other, Johnny's brain caught up with his body, and he let out the breath he'd been holding and lowered his arms a little - though he still remained hunched down in his seat with Fritz lunging over it to sight-see. "Uhh... you can ask her, I guess...?" he answered slowly, clearing his throat lightly to draw Fritz's attention - the excitable redhead looked down with a sheepish, apologetic grin and flopped back down in his seat, though he was clearly struggling to keep still.

After another lurch and shudder that signified their stop, a voice over the intercom announced their arrival at the station. With the thought of seeing his aunt looming much closer all of a sudden, Johnny felt his stomach begin to twist and roil with a mixture of unpleasant emotions, and his breathing picked up slightly as he scanned the crowd outside the window for a woman matching the description Jesse had given - tall, early forties, auburn hair. No sign yet, at least.

Though it had sparked a few arguments with Jesse, Johnny had pointedly avoided having to talk to Veronica directly in the weeks leading up to his departure - but here he was now. No more chances to put it off, unless he hijacked the train and drove it as far away as humanly possible. _Like a total pussy._

Starting to chew at his thumbnail again as he stood up, he wondered for a moment if she'd sent her daughter, Angela, to meet him instead, and looked around again for a moment before remembering that he had no idea what his cousin even looked like anyway - he'd last seen her at his father's funeral, eleven years ago.

"Yo, Johnny!" Fritz's voice barreled into his troubled thoughts, snapping him back into the present with a little jump. Concern overtaking his face, Fritz nudged him gently, noting the blond didn't seem as antsy about the contact this time. "You alright, man?"

"Mmm." Johnny gave a curt nod, squeezing past Fritz into the aisle as the few passengers who had been seated behind them filed past with their own luggage. "Just nerves - I'll be fine." Stretching up onto his tiptoes a bit, he slid the baggage compartment open and did a little hop to grab the handles of a bag that were conveniently hanging over the edge - not his, upon further inspection. Rolling his eyes and swearing under his breath, he nonetheless slid it the rest of the way down with a grunt, handing it to a grateful Fritz. He briefly wondered if they'd built it this way just to screw with the shorties - it had seemed much easier to swing his bag up _into_ the compartment when he'd gotten on, with momentum to help him out. Being five-four wasn't exactly something he boasted about.

Chuckling at the sight of an exasperated Johnny grumbling and jumping once more to fruitlessly grab at another bag - his combat boots weren't doing much to afford him any extra height - Fritz set his own down on the seat, giving a little whistle. While he wasn't exactly a skyscraper himself, he at least had a _few_ inches on the other boy. "Here - lemme do it, man."

Face screwed up into an irritable scowl, Johnny grudgingly stepped aside to let Fritz get up on his tiptoes and snag the rest of their bags from the overhead, thanking the redhead when his own were plunked into his arms. "Hey, careful! That one's got my laptop in it!" he yelped when the last bag was crammed into the crook of his arm at an awkward angle. "Jesus..."

After readjusting his bags so they hung more comfortably - and securely - over his shoulder, Johnny sucked in a deep breath before following Fritz off of the train and out onto the platform, straining his eyes as he scanned the small crowd of people for his aunt. Spotting a woman who appeared to be her - hair up in a sleek bun, gray pea coat, white scarf, and white slacks contributing to her overall businesslike look - he gulped to loosen his suddenly-tight throat and jostled Fritz's shoulder slightly, pointing when the other boy turned around. "Think that's her, over there - in the gray jacket. C'mon."

"Alrighty, cool!" With a nod, a wink, and a salute, Fritz said his farewells to the cute, orange-haired girl he'd been briefly chatting with and trotted along after Johnny - though not without bumping into what seemed like half the crowd on the way. "Whoops - sorry! 'Scuse me, man - whoa, yikes! Sorry!"

"Fritz, what the hell?" Johnny snapped over his shoulder, motioning for Fritz to hurry up - he sure as hell didn't want to face his aunt all alone just yet. Steeling himself as Veronica turned her head and spotted him, he let out an exhale and set his jaw, striding towards her more quickly now and trying to ignore the anxiety bubbling in his chest.

"...Johnny? Johnny Weiss?" she called hesitantly as he drew nearer, squinting and closing the distance between them with a few cautious steps of her own. Johnny noticed she seemed to have about half a foot on him, and looked much younger up close than he'd thought she would've - he would've pegged her for being just around thirty, if he didn't know better. Her gray eyes seemed to linger on his hair and his earring for a moment - neatly-plucked eyebrows raised almost critically and lips set in a wry twist - before she clasped her hands in front of her and gave him a small, welcoming smile, face relaxing as Johnny nodded without a word. "Well! You've certainly, ahh... grown! ...Haven't you?" she added after a beat, somehow managing to make the statement sound much less awkward than it should have.

While _technically_ true - he'd only been eight when she'd last seen him - Johnny almost wanted to snort, though he was still rather tense. His feet felt rooted to the spot as he looked up at her - with the sun lighting her from behind, she seemed almost like a massive shadow looming over him, waiting for him to make a wrong move or some perceived slight, and...

"Err... yeah, sure. Hi, Aunt Ronnie," he greeted warily, hoping she wouldn't see fit to hug him. "Good to... see you."

"You as well," she responded kindly, though there was a brief flash of something in her eyes that Johnny couldn't quite place. As he puzzled over what exactly it was, she went on: "I'm afraid Angela's at work right now, but we can stop by and say hello to her in a bit, as well, if you'd like - I'm sure she'd love to see you again, too. She gets off in a few hours. And you must be... Russell Kassmeyer, right?" she added, turning to Fritz - who chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck at Johnny's confused stare, and echo of "Russell?".

"Yep! Uhh, I mean - yes'm? I think?" Shaking his head hard, Fritz cleared his throat and tried again: "Uhh, that is - yeah, that'll be me - just, I go by 'Fritz,' is all."

"Ah! Right, your application mentioned. Forgive me, Ru-ah, Fritz," she corrected with another small, pleasant smile, giving him a slight bow. Once again, she made the verbal misstep sound as though it may as well have never occurred. "Veronica DeSilva. It's a pleasure to meet you, and it's lovely to see you again, Johnny. Well," she added, clapping her hands and giving a little jerk of her head, "it's just a little bit farther to Oak Tree Town proper, and still a bit of a hike to your farms after that - so if you gentlemen could please follow me...?"

Quietly grateful that Veronica seemed content to leave further familial pleasantries and chit-chat for later - or perhaps not at all - Johnny followed her and Fritz out of the station, quietly refusing her offer to help carry his bags.

Though Johnny quickly caught up with them at a light jog, he nonetheless hung back and listened to Fritz eagerly peppering Veronica with questions about the farms, and the town, and the people who lived there - each answer came promptly and patiently. Combined with the effortlessly purposeful stride that caused her heels to click a steady rhythm on the ground as they made their way down the path for Oak Tree, Johnny could easily picture someone like Veronica overseeing the town and the bustling little trading hub as easily as most people breathed.

"...From Castanet not too long ago - you'll see her working at Raeger's," Veronica went on, in response to Fritz's question about some of the other new people in town. She waved and nodded as a few other people bustled past them - a few returned the greetings politely. "She actually reminds me of you, a bit - quite energetic and... spirited. I think you'll like her! Very sweet girl."

"Sounds cool!" Fritz agreed happily, punching the air. "I'm always up for makin' new buds - right, Johnny? Err - Johnny?" He turned around as he noticed Johnny lagging behind slightly, distracted from his sight-seeing at the sound of his name. "Hey, man, party's up here! We ain't gonna bite, promise!"

"I'm good," Johnny replied quickly, shrugging, though he nonetheless picked up his stride a little, starting to chew at this thumbnail once more. He almost wanted to point out that they both had longer legs than he did anyway, but decided against it - why make himself a target?

Hands in his pockets, Fritz shrugged and turned back around. "Alrighty, then - but feel free to jump in whenever, for real! Nerves," he added in an offhanded explanation to Veronica - she gave a sympathetic nod and shot another strange glance back Johnny's way, gently gesturing for him to join them as well.

At the shake of his head and another reassurance that he was fine, she gave a disappointed little shrug and turned back around, though she directed her next statement his way: "You know, Jesse tells me you're very bright. It might be a little intimidating at first, but don't worry - I think you'll pick this up before you know it."

Heart warming a bit at hearing what Jesse had said about him, Johnny hummed quietly - it still wasn't doing much to ease his discomfort around Veronica, but... at least she was trying, right? _And God knows I don't want Fritz grilling me._ He idly wondered what else Jesse had told her, or how much of any of it - hell, what he'd said to make Veronica remember they even _existed_ after all this time _,_ let alone agree to this arrangement - but brushed the thought aside. "Right, thanks... but I think I just need a little sleep, to tell you the truth." It was only half a lie, he reasoned to himself - he really _could_ stand a nap, or at least a Red Bull or something to keep him semiconscious until he could peacefully become one with his new bed.

Veronica gave him an understanding nod as they made their way through what looked to be a small scattering of shops and houses, with a large, wooden barrier down at the end of the road - though the gateway leading in was wide open, making Johnny wonder what the point even was. "Ah, that's right... you came all the way down here from Laineston, didn't you?" Veronica asked, tutting a bit at Johnny's tired affirmation.

"Sheesh, no wonder you're so bushed! You must've been on the train all freakin' morning!" Fritz chimed in, gaze darting between Johnny and the various buildings around them - there weren't many, though he could spot what appeared to be a bar, a barbershop, and a library, each of which Veronica pointed out as they passed by. Whipping out his phone again, he made to snap a few more pictures, before checking the battery percentage and cringing.

Right as he shrugged it off and made to stuff the phone back into the pocket of his hoodie, he smacked himself on the forehead and immediately whipped it out again, hurriedly tapping on the screen. "Shoot! Almost forgot - gotta text my folks... I'unno, though, maybe I should wait 'till I actually get to my farm, huh?" He paused in his typing and looked to Veronica as if requesting her approval on this idea, - but then went on, without waiting for a response: "I mean, I can send 'em a pic or two, too, that way..."

With a light chortle, Veronica patted Fritz on the shoulder. "Well, we won't be much longer, so you do what you think is best - I'm sure they'll be happy to know you made it here alright, regardless."

Picking up the rather blatantly pointed look Veronica shot his way at this, Johnny blinked dumbly for a moment, before it hit him - he'd almost forgotten, too. Grimacing at his all-too-appropriate blond moment, he pulled out his own phone and shot a quick text to Jesse as well. _'I'm here. Met Aunt Ronnie. Going to the farm. Some ginger's tagging along with us. Think I ran into a Weasley,'_ he added with a little smirk. He briefly considered snapping a quick shot of Fritz to illustrate his point, but just as quickly thought better of it. He could all too easily see the excitable redhead taking it as an invitation to drag a reluctant Johnny into about a billion selfies with him and Veronica, and then sending them to all of his friends and family - or posting them on Facebook - with some sort of caption along the lines of 'lol mY NEW BFFS!1!'.

He shuddered.

Only moments later - as expected - Jesse's response came, the buzzing of the phone snapping Johnny out of the disturbing thoughts. He cracked a little grin as he read the message, his anxiety lessening a little: _'Lmao. Aight, cool beans. Don't be a douche now, Malfoy :P Gtg though, Carl & Danny are here to help w/the move. Ttyl, munchkin! (Haha, try kicking me in the nuts for that one, bitch ;D)'_

Ignoring the curious glances his snickering drew - despite the dig at his height - Johnny quickly capped off the conversation as they neared the gateway leading to Oak Tree's outdoor market: _'Jesus, you reply too fast. Get a hobby or something. I'm not forgetting that munchkin crack, bee-tee-dubs. Watch your back. Later, butthole.'_

"Oooh! Cool!"

Fritz's excited shout prompted Johnny to look up from slipping his phone back into his jacket pocket - the large, open space they'd just entered was peppered with various colorful stalls, carts, and kiosks, some open and selling various wares, snacks, and tchotchkes. Others appeared to be closed for the day, and a few even looked to have been shut down for good. Johnny also couldn't help but notice that - while there was still a decently-sized crowd milling about the plaza - there didn't seem to be a whole lot of people around in general. _Maybe because it's getting late or something?_ Though, even with Daylight Saving Time still over a week away, the early March sun was nonetheless casting an almost-surreal golden light over the plaza.

Fritz, however, was bouncing even more with each step, looking like he wanted to dart everywhere and burn through his money buying all the crap he could carry, and then some. _"Cool!"_ he repeated eagerly, a broad grin on his face as his gaze bounced this way and that, head tilting and turning with abrupt, birdlike motions. He snickered at the sight of a blonde girl in a frilly pink dress, prattling on about flowers to a vendor who was filing her own nails and nodding vaguely - beside them, a harried-looking redhead tapped her foot impatiently, arms weighed down by a pile of colorful boxes and bags.

"Ah, that would be Elise," Veronica informed the boys, gesturing to the blonde girl with an amused expression of her own. "The other new farmer in town - though she's been here since January, so she's already had a little time to get adjusted. _Very_ lovely estate she has - I'd introduce you, but she seems to be... rather preoccupied at the moment. Best not to interrupt her," she added with a whisper and a little wink as she placed a hand on Fritz's shoulder - he'd been about to call out to her, arm frozen in the air in the beginnings of a wave.

" _Aww._.." He looked as though Veronica had just told him that Elise ate puppies to make orphans cry.

Johnny watched the girl yammer on a bit longer as they strolled past, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head in disgust as she continued to ignore who he could only surmise was her assistant. Or maybe just a very unlucky friend.

"Hmm... I guess Jonas had to step out for a moment," Veronica mused as they passed an empty station on the other side of the plaza - what looked to be laminated schedules and fliers were pinned to the walls and the desk, and the monitor of the computer inside displayed a screensaver, cycling between pictures of a smiling, well-groomed little boy with brown hair and glasses, and a similarly-bespectacled, dark-haired woman who was so thin, angular, and severe-looking that she reminded Johnny of an ill-tempered praying mantis. Harrowing memories lanced through his mind at the sight of her disapproving face, sending a chill down his spine and a flash of nauseating anger in his gut, and he tore his eyes away in short order even as Veronica smiled fondly at the pictures.

"Well, we'll need to introduce you two to Jonas and his family some other time, I'm afraid. That's his little boy, Lutz, and..." She waited for the picture to cycle again, before pointing: "Here we are - his wife, Margot. Jonas does quite a bit for us here," she explained, motioning once again for them to follow after her as they headed into Oak Tree Town. "He keeps things running smoothly in the plaza - keeps up with the sales information, tracking shrink, general information about the area and any promotions the vendors might be running. And over here..."

Though Oak Tree itself was fairly small - and old-fashioned, with wrought-iron lampposts, flowered hedges everywhere, and cobblestones as far as the eye could see - Johnny found himself a bit overwhelmed as Veronica pointed out the various buildings, peoples' names popping up here and there. "Ah, there he is - oh, Gunther?" Veronica called. "Could I trouble you for a moment? Gentlemen, this is Gunther - he and his wife run Holzmann Carpentry over there, and..."

Snapped out of his daze as his ears picked up his name being said, Johnny looked over at the massive, balding, moustachioed ginger man who had approached them, beefy hand stuck out for a shake and expression unreadable. Cautiously shaking it, he gave the giant man a little nod, eyebrows raised. "Ahhh... yeah. Hey there. Johnny."

"Gunther," the man returned in a taciturn grunt, before turning and getting a much more enthusiastic introduction from Fritz - and looking almost taken aback at the contrast. "More farmers, huh?" he added, enigmatic stare now fixed on Veronica from beneath his heavy brows. His lips twitched in what might have been a slight smile. "Now Corona's never gonna can it about making me eat my damn veggies."

Tittering, Veronica folded her arms and shook her head. "Yes, Mistel voiced the same complaint to Angela the other day. Apparently, Iris is of the same mind as your wife. I think it's a very good thing, myself!"

"Lousy witch hunt is what it is," Gunther grumbled in good humor, before thumbing over his shoulder. Despite the still-cold air, he looked perfectly comfortable in his short-sleeved red flannel shirt, blue jeans, and boots - he didn't even have a jacket on like the other three. "Welp, better head back to the missus and see what other manner'a crap she's gonna send me to fix up today. Evening, fellas," he added, turning and waving as he lumbered back down the road to the shop.

"He's not much of a talker, but he's got a heart of gold," Veronica assured them as they headed up a set of stairs near Holzmann's, gesturing to either side of her as she pointed out the general store, the guild headquarters - "As well as the clinic, and where Angela and I live - we'd love to have you gentlemen over for tea or dinner sometime," she offered graciously, getting an enthusiastic nod from Fritz, and a noncommittal shrug from Johnny - and a restaurant beyond that, where a few patrons were seated outdoors, chattering and dining happily even in the nippy air. "Falkenrath's - the food there is absolutely wonderful, and the staff are lovely people. Are you two hungry at all?" she added, prompting Fritz to bounce in place and nod again.

"Totally! Uhhh, prolly wanna drop my junk off first when we reach my place," he added with a little chuckle, shifting his bags to sit more comfortably. "But, yeah! I'll totally zip by to nab some grub in a bit! You in, John-John?" he added, causing Johnny to cringe in horror at the nickname.

"Err... think I'm just gonna catch up on my sleep real quick, instead," Johnny muttered slowly, rubbing at the back of his neck and wondering how to ask Fritz to never, ever, ever call him "John-John" again without sounding like _too_ much of an asshole. "... _Russell._ "

"'Fritz' is fine," Fritz corrected automatically, before catching himself and giving a little start. "Ah! ...'Kay, gotcha, gotcha! No prob, _Johnny."_ He stressed the name with a big grin and a wink. "Just don't starve or nothin', huh?"

"I ate on the train earlier, so... I'm good." Not that they needed to know he'd basically just wolfed down a few snack cakes, some Skittles, and a coffee energy drink. _Shit, maybe_ that's _why I'm so tired..._

"Well, Raeger doesn't close until nine, so feel free to stop by later, if you need," Veronica informed him as they left town, making sure to also mention the general store's hours as they passed by.

Beyond the town lay beautiful meadows, groves, and hills winding up to their left, and a river - the Piedmont, per Veronica - rolling peacefully through it all. Further down, they could see the high brick walls surrounding Elise's estate, ivy creeping gracefully downward, and small piles of snow frosting the tops. The roof of the mansion was just barely visible from where they stood.

Patches of snow still dotted the grass as well, winking and glimmering like treasure in the gradually-darkening sunlight, and Veronica led them over a stone bridge crossing the river - Fritz's fist shot up to his mouth, biting down on his knuckle to muffle an excited squeal as two farms bobbed into view.

The one farther back clearly belonged to someone else, bearing an ornate sign reading "Rosewood Farm," and boasting colorful-yet-stylish architecture. Johnny noted to himself with great amusement that even the barn, coop, and silo were constructed in vibrant shades of purple, red, and gold, though the fields were quite impressive. A few late-winter flowers and vegetables still remained, as well as a bare orchard.

The closer of the two farms, however...

 _Well, he_ seems _pretty happy with it anyway,_ Johnny thought, watching Fritz look around at the rather weather-beaten, worn, tiny buildings dotting his farm and uttering the word "Awesome" so frequently and so damn _sincerely_ that Johnny had to hold back a grin. Was Fritz _serious?_ There seemed to be a decent amount of space to start some fields, at least, and the shack didn't _look_ like it was in immediate danger of collapsing if a butterfly flapped past it, but still...

"AWWWWWE-SOOOOOME~" Fritz sang again, spinning around in place with his arms spread out and his bags swinging in an arc - Veronica stumbled back quickly, just avoiding being whacked by one of them, though she looked quite pleased with the reaction all the same. "Suh- _weet!_ I dunno where to even start - this's so damn cool!"

"I'm glad you think so!" Veronica said with a little chuckle, shooting a hapless smile Johnny's way. When he coughed and scratched at the side of his nose, avoiding her gaze, she sighed and shrugged it off, turning back to Fritz and clapping her hands. "But don't worry about starting just yet - I've asked your neighbor to help you learn the ropes, if you will. It wouldn't hurt to introduce yourself to him - Giorgio Salucci, over there at Rosewood. He's still fairly young himself, but he's an old hand at farming, so you'll be in good hands with him!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Fritz agreed, still bouncing in place and looking around, the broad grin not leaving his face. "Wow, so... unpack, eat, go meet my _new_ new buddy, uhhh... man, I'm startin' to lose track already. Think I better jet inside and get fixed up and calmed down and all that jazz - y'all don't mind, right?"

Shaking her head, Veronica gestured for him to go on. "Not at all! And don't forget, if you have any questions Giorgio can't answer, feel free to stop by the guild and ask me - I'll be happy to try to assist you as best I can, as well."

"Alrighty-roo-" Johnny blinked hard at this, wondering if he'd actually just heard Fritz right, "-then, like... mega, mega thanks for everything, Veronica! Ronnie? Can I call ya Ronnie? Cool deal!" He gave her hand a hearty shake, then turned to Johnny, fist held out. "You too, bud! Hey, don't be shy, I ain't gonna slug ya - there we are!" he chirped approvingly, when Johnny sighed and grudgingly fist-bumped him.

"Good meetin' ya, dude - and good luck with your place, too! Hope I see ya 'round some! ...Hey," he called after Johnny nodded and turned to leave, prompting the pensive blond to turn back halfway on one foot and raise his eyebrows. Hands jammed in his hoodie pockets, Fritz gave what he hoped was a disarming little shrug and smile. Something about Johnny's demeanor was really troubling him. "Seriously, though, dude," he continued in a relatively gentler tone, rocking back and forth on his sneakers, "you really don't gotta be a stranger. 'Kay?"

A little nonplussed by this, Johnny worked at his thumbnail for a moment, before blowing out a little huff and letting his shoulders slump. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

"'Course..."

Shooting Fritz a genuinely grateful look, Veronica mouthed her own, silent thanks to him, before turning and offering to show Johnny to his farm. As they walked off, Fritz scrunched his face up, before shrugging off the concerns and looking around his farm once again with pride and joy. Letting his excited giggle squeak in his throat, he darted into his house to set his bags down and make his rounds saying hello to anyone else he could find.

Veronica and Johnny continued on up the trail that lead higher up into the outskirts of Oak Tree, passing by a paddy and an old water mill whose wheel creaked pleasantly against the river's gentle current. Johnny trudged along a few paces behind Veronica, hands jammed in his jacket pockets, and trying to ignore both the chill starting to creep into his bones, and the ache in his shoulders from carrying his bags so far. _And uphill we go, too... hoo, boy._

Noting the silence with worry and confusion - particularly in the absence of Fritz, or any of the other townsfolk - Veronica returned to doing what she did best: "So, Fritz isn't the only one who has a neighbor who'll be helping them out," she told Johnny, shooting a friendly smile his way over her shoulder. Whatever was going on with him, maybe knowing he'd have more friends in the area would help out a little. "Your neighbor is Miss Eda Owatari at Sunnyside Farm - she's been farming since she was around... your age, I'd say! A good sixty years or so!"

Johnny's head shot up at this, and he frowned. Maybe Eda was a decent enough _person,_ but someone pushing eighty didn't exactly sound like the best _trainer_ in the sort of hard physical labor farming involved. _What if she keels over or something?! Goddamn, that's cruel._

"...To lately? It's been so long..."

"Huh?!" Pulled back out of his head again by Veronica's question, Johnny's brow knit quizzically as they passed a grove by a frozen-over pond. "Sorry, Aunt Ronnie - what was that?"

She waved it off. "No worries. I was just..." Pursing her lips and humming, she took a moment to pause and wonder how to re-word the question. "...Trying to catch up, I suppose..."

 _"Catch up?"_ Johnny repeated incredulously, starting to huff out little clouds as his aching legs carried him farther up the increasingly-steep hillside. What the hell was she playing at? "That..." He stopped as well, and closed his mouth to bite back the snarky remark just begging to leap out. No use starting a fight already - he _knew_ word would get right back to Jesse afterward, and he'd already dealt with enough for ten lifetimes. Maybe twenty.

"...Maybe later," he eventually uttered, fighting to keep his voice neutral. Finally looking back up at Veronica and hoping his expression was as indifferent as it felt, he nodded up towards the crest of the hill. "Look, Aunt Ronnie - I appreciate what you're doing, and showing us around and all that, but... I just really wanna get some sleep right now, if that's okay. No disrespect or anything, but I'm seriously dead on my feet right now." And they sure as hell were starting to throb in his boots.

Scratching uncomfortably at the nape of her neck, Veronica hummed and eyed him keenly. "Of course, I understand. Well, then, Johnny - like I told Fritz, I'm here if you need anything. Alright?" He nodded, and she supposed that would have to do. At the very least, she knew he had to be more than just tired from the trip. "...Alright, then. Be sure you eat something later, though, and please introduce yourself to Miss Eda when you have the chance - she's a very sweet woman, I assure you. And stop by to say hi to Angela when you can, okay?"

Worrying at his lip, Johnny sighed and nodded again. "Got it. Alright, then... I already let Jesse know I'm here, so... guess I'll see you later."

"Right, of course... good evening, Johnny."

Missing the distressed expression on his aunt's face as he marched past her and up the hill, Johnny quickly bit back a groan. _Well, at least Fritz's farm isn't the only one that looks like crap... and Jess told me they were restoring it._ He looked back over his shoulder - seeing Veronica heading down the hill - and caught another distant glimpse of Elise's farm. Even from the hilltop, it looked grand and colorful.

And over to his left, he saw Eda Owatari's own Sunnyside Farm, pleasantly lit up and cozy in the settling dusk. It was small, but - with the smoke curling from the chimney of her farmhouse, and the larger patches of snow glowing in the sunset and coloring the few small plots of winter vegetables remaining - it looked like something off of a postcard, or a kitschy painting. Pulling his gaze back over to the right, he spotted his own dinky little shack and felt his face fall, drawing his phone out of his pocket once more to make a to-do list for when he was more awake.

As he unlocked the screen and entered the similarly-unlocked, cramped house - _Ah, key's on the table, cool_ \- he saw a new text from Jesse and felt himself smile despite his exhaustion and nerves. Unceremoniously plunking his bags down on the floor, he kicked off his boots and tossed his father's jacket onto the splintery kitchen counter, then sighed and plopped himself down onto the bed, cringing when he heard it squeak and groan heavily under his weight. Still, it didn't sag dangerously, or plummet through the floor, and no plumes of dust or black mold rose to envelop and choke him - a win, as far as he was concerned. On top of that, the bed wasn't terribly uncomfortable, though the lumpy, floral-patterned comforter smelled like an unholy mixture of mildew, Icy Hot, and mothballs.

"...Guess I can do this," Johnny muttered to absolutely nobody, looking over to the tiny fridge in the kitchen and wondering if it was plugged in, and what - if anything - was even inside it or the cupboards. He didn't fancy making a trip down to town and back up again just to grab something to eat - provided he woke up before the restaurant closed - nor did he want to pester Eda so late. _Meh... I'll worry about it later._ He found he wasn't exactly hungry, even now - not with his stomach fluttering like a butterfly sanctuary. There was too much to sort through, and he sure as hell didn't know where to start.

Wriggling around some to make himself comfortable, Johnny checked Jesse's text to cheer himself up a bit, rolling his eyes and grinning - Jesse had sent a picture with this one. _'Jello helped out & bought us pizza & stuff. Aw yeah. Haha look at these chuckle-fucks, the hell am I even paying them for? :P'_

Accompanying it was a picture of Carl and his best friend, Danny, engaging in a mock-swordfight with some breadsticks - from the looks of things, the picture had been taken in Carl's apartment. Danny's boyfriend Angelo - "Jello," per Jesse, and "Danjello" when he was with Danny - sat on the couch behind them, soda bottle in one hand and face buried in the other, though he appeared more amused than exasperated.

Snickering - even though the picture was making him feel a little lonelier than he wanted to admit to himself - Johnny tapped out his response, deciding to keep the family matters out of it. Jesse would bring up the subject himself if he wanted to, anyway. _'They're slacking. KILL THEM. I'll take whatever you were paying them. I'm at the farm. The tiny, tiny farm. I'm gonna conk out and then get some dinner. Look at my gaunt, hungry face. Why did you bring up pizza? I'm too tired to go down the mountain for pizza. Ass.'_

Snapping a quick selfie to illustrate his point - though he had to admit, calling his face 'gaunt' had been a major stretch - Johnny sent the message, set his now-silenced phone down on the bedside table, and snuggled up in the smelly comforter with a shuddering yawn. He clutched the dog tags hanging around his neck and fiddled with them as he let his eyes slide closed. Hopefully, his still-racing thoughts would eventually slow down long enough to let him get a little nap in, if not a decent night's sleep - and then he could go from there.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hi. I remembered this existed, see? Long story short - very hectic past... few months. Well, year, or decade, really - but I'm talking relative to this story. But, I recently had a bit of time, and figured out how to proceed a bit with the story - so here we are. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to work in Elise or more of the other villagers a bit more like I'd hoped without it getting extremely long (for so early on, anyway) and clunky - but I did get to exercise my creative liberties with Oak Tree Town! Gotta count for something.

Well, everyone's in town now! Johnny already hates Elise and Margot on principle, much like how Veronica feels about his fashion sense. Meanwhile, Fritz probably hates nothing, shameless cameos occur, and Jesse is under orders to murder his BFFs. Kasey's done with Danny anyway, so go on ahead, Jess.

And thanks to Lucy Kay on FFnet and Nomen on AO3 for their feedback (and additional to Lucy for a bit of soundboarding)! Also, thanks and welcome to ben4kevin, patamon642, Trans_Nerd, frelia567, and Deathura (as well as Guest) for kicking off the fave/follow/bookmark/kudos crew!

So - will Eda die while training Johnny? (Awkward.) Or will Giorgio be the first to succumb, what with that delicate constitution of his? Will a passing butterfly bring Fritz's house down on top of him? (He'd probably find that awesome, too.) How horrible will Johnny and Elise's first real meeting be? Or Margot's? Is Elise _still_ standing there yakking, with her maidfriend buckling under all the crap she bought? And will Jesse really murder his friends?

Feel free to leave a review, if you'd like, and I hope I'll see you in chapter 3!


	3. Good Morning

Chapter 3: Good Morning

* * *

Johnny wasn't quite sure what woke him up more - the rumbling of his stomach, or the unexpected and relatively softer rumble of thunder from outside the dilapidated little farmhouse, rolling atop the hush of gentle rainfall.

Letting out a surprised hum at this - the old house was pretty drafty, and he could feel how cold it still was out there - he sat up in bed, stretching and groaning groggily. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he squinted in the dim morning light - _Jesus, how long was I out?_ he wondered in slight alarm - and groped for his phone, noting with some concern that he'd forgotten to plug it in and charge it overnight. The clock informed him that it was almost half-past seven AM, and two new texts from Jesse greeted him - one sent shortly after he'd gone to bed, another from a little before one in the morning:

 _'K, night, you bony bastard! :P Lol. Hope you get a good rest. Try to eat something that isn't just a fuckload of caffeine & sugar btw,' _the first text lectured, making Johnny snicker as he shifted himself around so he was sitting cross-legged on the bed, phone in his lap. The same guy who was addicted to burritos, who had cheered over free pizza the other night, and who had once declared Taco Tuesday to be "the best holiday ever," was admonishing _his_ eating habits. _Wouldn't be Jess if he didn't, though,_ Johnny mused with a fond little smirk at his brother's fussing.

The second text only reinforced this notion, striking a little pang of guilt in his gut - along with further hunger: _'Jfc, you passed out for the night w/o eating didn't you. Don't make me come down there w/a bagged lunch or something to embarrass you XD EAT CHILD lol'_

Shaking his head ruefully, Johnny chuckled and texted Jesse back, turning to swing his legs over the side of the bed. _'Guilty as charged, sorry. Just woke up. Was tired as shit last night. I'll get something to eat now; can't guarantee it'll be healthy, though, Mr. Mexican. Did you just tell me to eat a child? Disgusting. Also, I think the roof's leaking,'_ he added almost offhandedly, before giving a start and re-reading his words. "Wait, what? Ah, shit..."

Straining his ears as he sent the text, set the phone down, and plugged in the charger, he uttered a quiet groan and an "Oh, fuck _me_ " as he caught the dripping noise again - a quick glance over to the kitchen revealed a little puddle gleaming dully on the countertop. _Guess I've gotta replace some shingles when the weather clears up,_ Johnny thought with a grimace, hoping there was a ladder somewhere on the farm. _Awesome._ He shook his head and clicked on the bedside lamp, padding over to the cabinets and throwing them open to rummage around until he found a somewhat-moldy dishrag to mop up the rainwater, and a dented, albeit decent-sized pot to catch the rest.

"Stop doing that, you stupid roof," he pointlessly snapped at the ceiling, before turning to rummage hopefully through the pantry and fridge - a box of saltines, a loaf of sliced bread, and a jar of peanut butter turned up in the former, while the latter surprised him with fresh cartons of eggs and milk, cold cuts, and a rather large bowl of chopped, assorted fruits. Though it was far from his usual diet of energy drinks and sugar-loaded everything, he was already salivating as he pulled the bowl out and lifted the Saran wrap, inhaling the pleasant smell of bananas, pineapples, oranges, and mixed berries. Shutting the door, he caught sight of a cheery little orange Post-It stuck on the front, the tiny handwriting surprisingly neat: _Welcome to Oak Tree! I hope you enjoy the snacks we left you! - Eda._

A little smiley face was scrawled next to Eda's name, and Johnny's eyebrows rose as he dug a fork out from the flatware drawer, uncovering the bowl fully and going over to sit on the threadbare little couch to eat his breakfast. As he chewed a large, juicy chunk of pineapple with a grateful hum, he pondered over the unexpected welcome gift, eyes falling on his front door... which was unlocked, and had been since he'd arrived yesterday.

 _...Don't be stupid,_ he chided himself after a brief jolt of paranoia. He wasn't _that_ heavy a sleeper, and he highly doubted that people in Oak Tree just slipped into each others' houses while they were asleep to leave groceries, like Santa Claus. _Or just... stand there, watching each other sleep,_ he mused with a yawn as he finished eating, hopping off the couch to go re-wrap the bowl - now half-emptied - and pop it back into the fridge.

Standing there and leaning against the still-open door in its cool cone of light, he drummed his fingers and watched the rain through the little window above the sink for a moment, listening to the water continuing to drip steadily into the pot on the counter. He wasn't sure _what,_ exactly, he'd planned on doing today - maybe unpacking, straightening up the house a little, checking out his property... and whatever other tasks would give him an excuse to stay relatively isolated until his anxiety had lessened a bit more, and he was good and ready to deal with new and unfamiliar people without his brother there to help him out of his shell.

Eda's kind gesture, however, had quickly put a damper on that idea - not to mention the fact that she had, apparently, been tasked with helping him start out on this strange little interlude in his life. And while the rain could at least push the tutorials back for sunnier times, he at least owed her a proper, timely thanks for the food... if not to avoid feeling guilty about putting it off later, then at least to avoid an earful from Jesse the next time they talked.

 _So... let's get this over with._

Trying to ignore the little knot of anxiety twisting his stomach, Johnny pulled some fresh clothes from his bag and slipped into the dingy little bathroom off the kitchen to shower, emerging clean but shivering slightly a half-hour later - the pipes clearly hadn't been used in some time, and waiting for the water to stop coming out brown had taken long enough that it had also started slipping below lukewarm by the end.

Shaking off a few extremely distressing memories the cold shower had brought back as he spiked his hair up into its usual fauxhawk, he pulled on some black jeans and a baggy green sweatshirt and laced up his boots. Digging his umbrella out from the bottom of the bag with his socks and underwear in it, he then squished out into the wet, chilly morning beneath another rumble of thunder. Outside, the freezing rain pattered away at the leftover piles and patches of slush scattered about, and the slick grass squeaked underfoot as Johnny crossed beneath the signboard for Sunnyside Farm and towards Eda's house, feeling his stomach buzz as it bobbed closer.

As with last night, the windows pulsed with warm light, and Johnny caught sight of a rather fat Russian Blue eyeing him from the sill one of the front windows as he slipped beneath the shelter of the house's rain porch, closing and shaking his umbrella, and scraping his boots on the worn-out welcome mat. What sounded like a weather report could be heard droning from inside.

Feeling a bit lighter at the sight of the cat - which narrowed its yellow eyes and continued to watch him apprehensively - Johnny spared it a small grin and a short nod, before letting out his breath in a _whoosh_ and ringing the doorbell, already chewing at his thumbnail and tapping his foot as he waited. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cat stretch its back and paws before turning and jumping off the windowsill.

Almost jumping as the front door creaked open a minute or so later, Johnny gulped and jammed his hands in his pockets, nodding at the stout, kind-faced little old Japanese lady smiling curiously at him through the screen door, with the cat peering at him uneasily from behind her. Though she appeared to be a bit shorter than him, he noticed she also stooped slightly with age, and pale gray hair spilled out from beneath a cheerful yellow kerchief patterned with flowers.

"Good morning!" she greeted in a sunny chirp, hand on the handle of the screen door. Her high, clear voice made her sound far younger than she was. "You'd be Johnny, right?"

"Right," Johnny echoed, returning her smile hesitantly. He scuffed one of his boots against the other and tapped his umbrella against his shoulder. "Eda?"

"Since 1936!" Eda confirmed with a little laugh, pushing the screen open and waving him inside. The cat shrank back slightly before turning around to slink off towards the living room - on the TV against the far wall, a cute young woman with chin-length brown hair went over the five-day forecast. "Well, don't be shy, dear - you come right on in! Hang your umbrella on that rack there, it's fine - can I get you anything? Tea, coffee, juice?"

Johnny couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by her fussing, though his mouth quirked up a bit nonetheless as he was ushered over to take a seat on an old, overstuffed, red-and-green striped couch. It was surprisingly comfy. "I'm good, thanks - I don't wanna impose or anything," he assured her, arms folded across his stomach - though the offer of a fresh pot of coffee _did_ sound tempting.

Eda scoffed, waving off his concerns with a chuckle. "Oh, nonsense! We enjoy the company, don't we, Mika?" She was cooing at the cat, who had hopped up onto the arm of the recliner sitting cattycorner to the couch. He turned his head towards her upon hearing his name. "We're just making all sorts of new friends these days, aren't we, big boy? Uh-huh! Really, it's no trouble at all," she went on, now addressing Johnny again as she poked about her kitchen. "I do love the company."

Shrugging, Johnny felt the queasy, anxious knot in his stomach loosen a bit with Eda's sincere, down-to-Earth warmth. As much as strangers generally made him wary, he had to admit - she seemed genuinely pleasant and sweet. "Alright... I guess some coffee would be fine. Uhh, please," he added quickly, causing her to chuckle again as she nodded and turned to dig out some grounds and filters. Looking back at Mika - who was once again watching him from the recliner - Johnny clicked his tongue and patted his leg, whispering Mika's name and grinning as the cat's ears twitched curiously in response.

"Coffee it is, then! I've got sugar and some half-and-half, if you don't take it black," Eda informed him, pulling out a measuring cup from a drawer and gently nudging it closed with her hip. She smiled as she saw Mika finally hop off the recliner and pad cautiously over to Johnny, stretching his neck out to sniff at the boy's hand before nudging the side of his face against it and meowing loudly. "Are you hungry at all?"

Now happily scratching behind Mika's ears, Johnny shook his head. "Nah - I actually had some of that fruit you left in my fridge... thanks, by the way. It was pretty awesome. Err, and for all the groceries and stuff," he added, scratching at the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Oh, you're quite welcome," Eda replied, watching as the carafe began filling with coffee. "Of course, I can't take all the credit - a few of us about town pitched in, really, for you and Fritz. And Elise, when she moved in," she added with a pleased hum as the last drips of coffee plopped into the pot. She turned to grab a few mugs from the cabinets, continuing over her shoulder as Johnny sprung up to go help her:

"I'm not certain if you've met Elise yet - oh, thank you, dear, pick whichever mug - but Fritz stopped by here last night. Said he rode in with you on the train out of West Elm Creek." Smiling fondly at the memory of the bouncy redhead prattling on about his plans for the farm, she followed Johnny back to the living area, steaming mugs of coffee clutched in their hands - Johnny's had turned a light shade of brown with all the sugar and half-and-half he'd dumped into it, as well as a few small ice cubes to cool it off faster.

Sipping at his coffee with an appreciative sigh, he nodded. "Right, yeah... I came over from Laineston, though. Err, sorry I didn't stop by last night," he added after a moment's pause, reaching down with his free hand to once again pet Mika. "I just kind of flopped into bed when I got to the house... didn't wake up till a little while ago, actually."

"Oh, you're fine," Eda assured him, watching Mika pace back and forth, rubbing happily against Johnny's jeans and purring loudly. "Fritz told me you were probably turning in for the night... oh, how did he put it? Ah, right," she remembered, chortling and slapping her knee. "'Dog-ass tired,' I think it was! Ha!"

Snorting a bit into his coffee, Johnny grinned ruefully and shook his head as he absently stroked Mika's back - while he'd known Fritz for maybe a few hours at most, he could definitely see that happening. "Sounds about right," he admitted with a wry smirk, before taking a deep breath and drumming his fingers on the warm ceramic. "I know my aunt said you were gonna be teaching me some basics and all, too-" Eda nodded at this, and Johnny sighed. "I mean, I guess when the weather clears up, but... I don't want to-"

"Impose?" Eda finished for him with a friendly, teasing smile, eyes twinkling at his guilty look. "Dear, I've been farming since I was about your age, I think... how old are you again?"

"Twenty in July," Johnny answered promptly, earning a nod and a hum from her.

"Just about, then - I may have one foot in the grave, but don't worry about me! I still manage the old homestead just fine," she assured him with a cheeky grin and a wink. "Of course, we'll just need to wait for the weather to clear up, first, but we'll get you working that land like an old hand before you know it!"

Despite the myriad worries still swirling in the pit of his stomach, Johnny couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement at the prospect, as well - maybe it had more to do with Eda herself, putting him at ease and making the idea sound fairly appealing overall. "Alright," he agreed hesitantly, finishing his coffee and cradling the mug in his lap. "So... whenever works for you, I guess? I don't really have anything planned yet, so I'm good whenever."

Eda gave an agreeing nod, finger to her chin in thought. "Well, then - tomorrow morning, if the weather's behaving," she decided, cocking her head slightly. "Give you a bit of time to settle in, maybe introduce yourself to the folks in town?"

Wincing slightly at the prospect, Johnny nonetheless acquiesced to the idea. _Maybe they'll be okay here,_ he reasoned with himself. Gunther had seemed okay, Eda was turning out to be surprisingly pleasant to be around so far... and even Fritz - whose loud, boundless enthusiasm had admittedly been a little obnoxious - seemed like a decent, genuinely friendly person. _So far._

Then again, avoiding people in a more populated area seemed much easier than in a little town like this one. He'd probably have to adapt somehow, even if the thought made his stomach turn a bit. "Yeah," he mumbled, handing over his empty mug when he noticed Eda offering to take it for him, "I guess I could do that real quick, huh?"

"They're good people here," Eda assured him, padding off to the sink to rinse out the mugs - she could sense his apprehension a mile away, though something told her it wasn't entirely shyness. "I think you'll like them - and your cousin works at the clinic, doesn't she? Angela? So you can catch up with her! Very bright girl - wants to be a doctor, you know. And such a pretty thing. Looks just like her mama... just as stubborn, too, bless her heart." She finished her little tangent with a sigh, placing the mugs on the drying rack. "Though, it is Sunday, so most everyone will be closed today, I think... well, no, Raeger and Mistel will be working..."

Johnny didn't particularly see a problem with this - if he had to meet the other people in town, he'd rather get his feet wet bit by bit, rather than jump in all at once. He raised his eyebrows at the familiar names. "Right, Aunt Ronnie mentioned them yesterday. I know Raeger runs the restaurant... and Mistel?"

"You'll find him at the antique shop - Albrecht's Antiques, just down the road from the general store," Eda informed him helpfully, coming back to her recliner and grunting as she settled into it. "And you'll probably meet Maya when you stop by the restaurant - just started waitressing there. Sweetest little thing. Bakes quite the batch of cookies, that girl. Bout your age, too, I think." She patted her leg when Mika looked towards her. "You wanna come to Mama, or are you gonna keep Johnny company a bit longer?" she asked in a playful tone, laughing softly when he meowed and leaped up onto her lap. "Well, okay, then! Hello, there! Did you like your new buddy?"

Johnny watched the display with quiet amusement for a few moments, seeing Eda dote on the chubby cat that was starting to knead at her skirts, before biting at his lip and getting up. Outside, another low rumble of thunder sounded. "Well - alright, I guess I can drop by and see them later on, then... but I should get going. I've got a leak I need to check on in my kitchen, anyway."

Eda made to get up, plonking Mika down on the arm of the recliner again. "Uh-oh! I hope it isn't too bad - well, don't let me keep you, then, dear. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"You too, Eda," Johnny responded sincerely, hand out for a shake. The old woman took it in amusement, rising to her feet with her other arm out.

"Not a hugger?" she inquired, noting the slightly guarded expression he wore.

"I, err..." He really _didn't_ care much for hugging most people, but... _most_ people didn't have to mean _all_ people. "Eh, sure, why not?" he decided after a moment, instinctively stiffening a bit before returning the hug. He relaxed slightly - maybe it wasn't so bad. "Thanks again for the coffee and everything, too."

"Absolutely. Well, I'll see you for our little farming class tomorrow, hopefully, eh? Don't be a stranger now, Johnny," Eda told him as he grabbed his umbrella.

Johnny paused at the door, remembering the concern on Fritz's face the other day as he'd uttered that exact same sentiment, and tapped his umbrella against his leg a few times with a slight frown stitching his brow. "Right... yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, then. Have a good one!" he called over his shoulder, slipping out into the cool, rainy morning.

* * *

"...And I know wisteria is certainly very lovely, but I think it clashes with the exterior, to be quite honest. I'd personally prefer something like clematis, or roses - pink roses, I think," Elise prattled to her assistant as they made their way back into town from the plaza, the latter woman's arms loaded down with various bags and parcels as she struggled to hold the weight up _and_ listen to her boss at the same time. At least nodding at the appropriate times seemed to placate her.

"Pity they didn't have the seeds in just yet," Elise went on with a dramatic sigh. It was better than the fussing she'd done earlier over the matter. "Well, I suppose I can wait until Wednesday for the shipment. Though, should I have one color for the trellis, another for the arbor...? Perhaps mix them up? Hmm. I could always consult Giorgio on the matter, he's got an eye for these sorts of things..."

Anita Palmer nodded and hummed in practiced approval at the proposal, looking up to warily eye the large, powder-pink umbrella Elise was waving over them. It was big enough to shield both of them from the rain, but Elise would - maybe unintentionally - wave it about a bit while she was talking, temporarily stealing Anita's cover and getting her spattered. "Of course, Miss Elise," she uttered automatically, voice slightly strained. In the back of her mind, she had to wonder if this was what a future husband might be in for with the chatty blonde. 'Yes, dear. Of course, dear. Sounds good, dear. Please kill me, dear.'

"...this rather _darling_ music box he just got in, and - Anita? ... _Anita!_ Good Lord, are you even _listening_ to me?!"

Jumping a bit as Elise's voice snapped into her boredom, Anita wobbled and nearly slipped, nodding rapidly. "Oh, of course, Miss Elise!" she repeated, the lie not entirely convincing to either of them. "I was just... picturing how pretty the grounds will look once all those roses bloom."

Elise raised an eyebrow at her.

"...Honest," Anita finished lamely, trying to swallow her nervous giggle.

"...Yes, well, it _will_ look quite ravishing," Elise agreed in a slow mutter, free hand on her hip and leather-booted foot clicking in a steady tap on the wet cobblestones. "Well, _do_ be careful, would you? You could've slipped and dropped everything, you know, and don't think for one second that any damages wouldn't come out of your pay! ...Well, and you could've possibly injured yourself," she added in an offhanded manner. "And seeing as Dr. DuBois is off today, I _highly_ doubt he'd appreciate being called into the office due to your clumsiness."

 _Maybe if you'd help_ carry _some of the crap you bought,_ Anita thought sourly, though she swallowed the retort and kept a pleasant smile on her face - she _had_ signed up for this job, after all, and the benefits weren't too shabby. "Of course, Miss Elise," she said once more. "My apologies. Shall I accompany you to the antique shop?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Elise said with a dismissive wave, looking down to adjust the lapel of her long, dark coat. "I've no plans to buy anything more today; just browse a bit and consult with Mistel. Take my things back home, would you?"

Blanching at the order, Anita looked down to all of Elise's purchases loaded in her arms, to the rain-slicked steps leading to the upper level of town. And she knew there were even more steps waiting beyond that. Many, many more. "...Very good, Miss Elise," she said through clenched teeth, as Elise smiled in appreciation, leaning forward to pull the hood of Anita's lavender raincoat over her short blonde bob. _Since God knows even if she wanted to part with that umbrella, I couldn't carry it like this,_ she griped internally. Though it would probably amuse Elise to see her clutching it in her teeth. "Thank you, Miss Elise."

Elise inclined her head graciously. "Yes, yes, of course. Well, I'll be off, then. And be a dear and tell Zazie to start thawing that rack of lamb when you see her, would you? I'd like it for tomorrow night's dinner." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, lips pursed as she tried to remember anything else that might need doing back home. "Ah, yes - and remind Tito to deliver some wine and cheese to those new farmers - Cabernet Sauvignon and the aged gouda, unless he has a better suggestion." She sounded like she highly doubted that possibility.

Anita nodded grudgingly, turning to head off back to Marguerite Farm as Elise dismissed her with another little wave, before spinning around on the heel of her white boot to click down to the antique shop, taking in the smell of dirt and melting snow that the rain was stirring up in the chilly air. It wasn't so bad, this little town - it was certainly beautiful, albeit a bit on the dull side once one left the shopping plaza, but it was also... peaceful. Though that was, perhaps, due in part to how slow business had been for Oak Tree lately. The woman who ran it seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and an admirable sense of grace, and Elise could already see in her mind's eye how lush and beautiful her farm, orchard, and gardens were going to be once they really started going.

 _And then I can invite everyone over to see them once that happens,_ she thought happily, humming to herself as she passed under a warmly-glowing streetlight and hooked a right at the corner, making her way carefully up the steps. While her father had been too busy with meetings in Seoul and Taipei to drop by, her mother and Bridget had stopped in for a few wonderful days back at the start of February to see the finished, decorated mansion - and had been loaded with glowing praise, at that.

Still, Elise couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at how... _bare-bones_ it still looked, to her. The fields had only recently been plowed, and the spring planting hadn't yet started. And she'd only just ordered her first few animals for her farmhands to tend to. It all felt a little behind schedule.

 _Well, we'll get it all sorted out and running smoothly by the time he can come down here,_ Elise assured herself, ignoring the small twinge of doubt in her stomach. Closing her umbrella beneath the awning of Albrecht's Antiques, she shook the excess rainwater from it and headed inside, the little bell above the door announcing her arrival even before she did.

The shop was a bit small and cramped for her tastes, but it was nonetheless... _cozy,_ she supposed. Warm and well-kept, with various trinkets and treasures gleaming and winking under the soft lights - old paintings, figurines, a small section for vintage clothing, and a large globe in one corner. She spotted the short, blond shopkeeper over by the latter item, polishing it and muttering darkly to himself. A lock of his chin-length hair kept coming loose, prompting him to groan and repeatedly tuck it behind his ear.

"Ah, Mistel!" she called, waving to him with a little grin as Mistel Albrecht looked up - his glower instantly brightened, and he tucked the rag into the pocket of his neatly-pressed white slacks. "Really, now," Elise went on with a playful sniff, clasping her umbrella shut and pushing the handle in, "ignoring a lady like myself? I've half a mind to take my business elsewhere."

Chuckling, Mistel tucked the loose hair behind his ear yet again, tilting his head. "Is that so? I guess I could recommend a few other rival antique shops in the are-ohhhh, _wait_ ," he added with mock-realization, arms folded across his chest as they smirked at each other. "How silly of me to forget."

"You and your monopoly," Elise sighed, fluffing at her bun and making sure the ribbon hadn't loosened during her errands. While she hadn't really made much time to socialize with the people of Oak Tree yet beyond introductions and pleasantries, she'd clicked fairly fast with the sharp, cultured Mistel and his elegant older sister, Iris. Though, her being a fan of some of Iris's novels hadn't hurt their initial impressions of each other, either. "Slow day, I presume?"

He nodded, sour-faced once more. "Relatively speaking. I at least had a chance to get some polishing done, but... well, I also met one of the new farmers earlier..." He grimaced at this, prompting Elise to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Which one? I've only met that redheaded one, myself, just the other night... oh, what was his name...?" She tapped the side of her jaw in deep thought. He'd seemed fairly nice, albeit incredibly annoying - very bouncy and over-eager. Loud and all wound up, like a goofy ginger Labrador. "Chris, I believe?"

"Fritz," Mistel corrected with a weary sigh, a muscle twitching under one of his violet eyes. "Very friendly, but a little too... _grabby._ He kept poking and prodding at things - gave the globe a good spin just for fun, too, and it started wobbling. I nearly had a heart attack! I've been wiping his fingerprints off of things for the past half an hour, now," he groused, motioning to the rag sticking out of his pocket.

Elise couldn't help but blanch at this - while it wasn't something she felt looked quite right for her mansion, the globe was a very lovely piece nonetheless. And very old - 15th-century, from Spain. It surprised her that it was even for sale. She felt empathetic horror for Mistel, until he went on:

"I... suppose I should have been firmer in requesting he didn't touch anything he didn't intend to buy, in retrospect..."

Sighing, Elise put a hand over her face. As professional and prim as Mistel was, he was almost absurdly wary of offending potential customers - especially new customers. "Well, of _course_ you should have, Mistel," she agreed rubbing at her twitching temples. "You're running a business with _very_ pricey wares. I still think a sign or two ought to do the trick, if you can't speak up yourself."

"...I'm just not terribly sure Fritz can read," Mistel quipped promptly, causing Elise to giggle and shake her head.

" _Mistel!_ Really!" she scolded, though she couldn't help but continue to chuckle at his remark. "You've only just met the boy, now behave!"

"Yes, _Iris,_ " he responded sardonically, giving her a sarcastic little bow. Straightening up and adjusting his green plaid sweater-vest, he clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward a bit, eyeing her with a curious gleam: "So, what brings you here on such a dreary day, anyway? Couldn't get enough of my sharp wit?"

"Oh, no - that actually keeps me at bay," Elise responded jokingly, finally setting her umbrella in the basket by the door. "No, I ran into your sister earlier when she was on the way to catch her train, and she told me you'd just received a very lovely music box the other day - 19th-century, Swiss?"

Eyes lighting up, Mistel nodded, motioning for her to follow him as he reached down the front of his white polo shirt to retrieve the key he wore around his neck, unlocking a glass-fronted display cabinet in the back and pulling out the box in question. Chipped and worn in a few spots, the carved walnut nonetheless shone with a proud polish, and Elise's eyes roved over the intricately-painted design on the lid - two flowery branches forming a heart, with birds perched on either side and a rose in the middle. In the back of her mind, she wondered if her father might like it, as well - he had a fondness for such things.

"...Dear Lord, I love it already, and I haven't even heard it," she admitted with a self-conscious laugh, which Mistel shared as he set it down on the counter. She eyed him curiously. "Does it play?"

He grinned and tilted the box back, winding up the little key in the front. "Like new. Listen."

A moment later, a pleasantly lilting melody began to float from the box, wafting gracefully around them - like something out of a fairy tale. Elise hummed along, swaying her head side-to-side and relishing the sound.

"So... are you looking to buy it?" Mistel asked her hopefully, once the music had faded away.

Shaking her head, Elise kept a keen eye on the box, arms folded over her coat. "Well, not _today,_ no, but I-"

She was interrupted by the door creaking open and the bell tinkling yet again, and Mistel's head shot up to eye the new visitor. "Good morning! Welcome to Albrecht's Antiques - I'm Mistel. Is there anything I might help you with?" he recited with smooth, practiced ease.

Looking over her shoulder, Elise almost scoffed at the sight of the boy who'd entered - another blond, around their age, who was closing his own umbrella and had _maybe_ an inch on Mistel height-wise. The baggy sweatshirt and jeans, combat boots, single earring, and strangely-spiked hairstyle looked more suited to some sort of punk rock band than an antique shop, in her opinion. Noticing the boy's eyes flitting between the two with a strange expression, Elise gave him a wordless nod, watching him hang back by the door with his hands in his pockets.

"Ahh, not really," the boy admitted after an awkward silence, shrugging uncomfortably. "I'm just... stopping by real quick to introduce myself. Unless maybe now's not a good time?" he added in an almost-hopeful tone, jerking his thumb back towards the door.

"Oh, you're fine, absolutely fine," Mistel assured him, discreetly nudging the music box in Elise's direction as he swept around the counter and towards the front of the store, hand stuck out to shake in a gracious greeting and loafers squeaking on the polished hardwood floor. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you're Johnny?"

The boy nodded, giving his hand a quick shake and immediately slipping his own hand back into his jeans pocket. "Yeah. You said 'Mistel,' right?"

Mistel hummed in affirmation. "That's right. And this is-"

"Elise Hightower," Elise cut in, standing up straight and giving Johnny a slight bow of her head from her spot by the counter. "Charmed, I'm sure. _Johnny,_ is it?" _Not John, or Jonathan?_ she added in her head. _Johnny? Like some kind of fifties greaser?_

"Err... right, yeah," he responded, scratching the back of his head and giving her that strange look again. Like she'd just directed some sort of slight his way. "I think my aunt pointed you out in the plaza the other day."

Elise folded her arms over her chest, nodding, and wondering why his observation had such an oddly hostile tone to it. "Ah, yes. I believe your friend Fritz informed me about this."

"Uhh, I haven't exactly known him _that_ long," Johnny cut in, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. Though there was no doubt in his mind that his definition of friendship most likely differed from Fritz's quite strongly. Even if Fritz was... alright. "We just met _yesterday_."

"You're only here short-term, though, right?" Elise went on, seemingly ignoring his statement. "Helping out Miss Veronica?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Johnny confirmed, still frowning, and rubbing his arm self-consciously as he tried to avoid further eye contact with her. What business of hers was it? "Why?"

"Oh, just curious," she answered airily, Mistel's eyes flickering warily between them - like he was watching a potentially snippy ping-pong match. "It just seems a little _odd_ to only run a farm for a few months and then just up and leave it, is all. I didn't realize people did that sort of thing."

Clearing his throat when he saw Johnny's scowl deepen and his jaw clench at this remark, Mistel cut in: "It does sound like a real shame if you're not planning to stay here too long - but we-" he cut Elise a pointed look at this, "-hope you enjoy your time here, all the same. And I'm sure he has his reasons, Elise," he added diplomatically, causing Johnny to relax slightly and spare him a grateful glance. "Not that I intend to pry or anything," Mistel tacked on in what he hoped was a placating manner, giving the other boy a congenial smile.

"Right," Johnny mumbled, trying to stop cutting Elise scathing looks from the corner of his eye. He noticed she looked put off by this, and almost snorted, before another thought quickly pushed that aside. Keeping his focus on Mistel to keep his anxiety and temper in check, he added: "This store's name... Albrecht's?"

Knowing what was coming, Mistel clasped his hands behind his back and nodded proudly. "Right. And I'm guessing a certain someone comes to mind when you hear that name?"

"She's your... sister, right?" Johnny guessed, thinking back to the mini-biography printed at the end of each of Iris's books. His face lit up a little when Mistel indicated he'd guessed right. "Ah, cool - not that I wanna bug her or anything," he went on, hands up in pre-emptive reassurance. "I've just read some of her stuff before, is all. It's pretty awesome."

"Yes, she does have quite a way with the pen," Elise agreed, the surprise on Johnny's face mirroring her own at the realization of their shared taste in _anything_. _I wonder if that says more about him, or me. Hmm._ "Lovely woman, too."

"I'm just glad she isn't here to listen to you two inflate her ego further," Mistel admitted with a little chuckle and a shrug, feeling a bit calmer now that Elise and Johnny didn't seem to be focused on lowering the temperature in the shop anymore. "But, thank you both. I know she'll appreciate the compliments. Not quite sure if they'll make the blurbs on the back of her next book, though, no offense," he added lightly, making the other two laugh.

"None taken," Johnny assured him, giving him a brief nod. He looked back over at Elise for a moment, something odd flickering in his eyes, before he turned back to the umbrella stand to grab his umbrella. "Well... sorry to cut this short, but I've gotta head out. I've got stuff I still need to get done. Nice meeting you, though," he finished, and Mistel and Elise both noticed quite easily that he was pointedly ignoring the latter. "See you around."

"Of course - feel free to stop by anytime," Mistel offered with a pleasant wave as Johnny popped open his umbrella with a little "Yep" and headed back out into the now-pouring rain, splashing off for parts unknown.

When the door clicked shut behind him, Elise finally let herself roll her eyes like she'd been dying to do the entire time Johnny had been there, prompting Mistel to shoot her an exasperated glare. His arms were folded and his foot was tapping sternly on the floor. Despite being only a few months older than her, a few inches shorter, and looking about three years younger, he had the air of an irritated parent about him at that moment - honed and perfected, no doubt, from years of Iris doing the same to him.

"Oh, now don't you give me that look," Elise protested, nonetheless feeling a bit rueful under his piercing scowl.

"Elise, if this is how you intend to treat potential customers of mine, I will _paint_ this look on your bedroom ceiling so I can _keep_ glaring at you, even when you sleep at night," Mistel told her, watching her face fall slightly. "Honestly, what was _that_ all about?"

"I was perfectly polite to him," she insisted defensively, huffing and tucking a stray strand of hair back. " _He_ was the one staring _me_ down like I'd... insulted his mother! Really, he was rather rude, if you ask me." She didn't even want to mention how unsettling his stare had been. Like he was trying not to shoot daggers at her, but couldn't quite keep his hostility towards her under wraps. _Well, pardon me for_ existing _, brat._

Scoffing at this, Mistel shook his head. While Johnny's own dislike for Elise hadn't exactly been _subtle,_ he wasn't about to let Elise shift _all_ the blame to someone else. "Please. If your nose had been any further in the air, you'd have broken your neck," he said brusquely, tossing his hair back. "Now, I can't stop you two from killing each other outside the store - and that would be quite a shame, since I enjoy your company, and he actually seems decent, if you ask me - but if you want to potentially drive away business, I'd highly prefer if you didn't make it _my_ business. Keep it outside."

Heaving a heavy, long-suffering sigh, Elise rubbed the back of her neck and nodded. Maybe he had _something_ of a point. And it wasn't every day that someone said they actually enjoyed her company, she realized with a little warmth in her cheeks. She certainly didn't want to fall into his or Iris's bad graces after that sort of compliment, though she had to wonder how exactly he'd dealt with Fritz without growing impatient. Something told her he hadn't managed that feat. "Oh... fine, then. I suppose I can manage that, yes. God, and I'm having Tito deliver some wine and cheese to him, too, as a welcome gift... what _lovely_ timing. Well, it'll probably end up in the river now," she groaned.

Finally letting his scowl fade a bit, Mistel sighed in relief, though he couldn't help but roll his eyes at Elise's dramatics - as if to underscore them, another roll of thunder gently rumbled overhead. "Oh, I doubt he'll throw it in the river... now, what was it you were saying about the music box earlier?"

"Ah, right..." Elise gladly allowed herself to be swept back up in their earlier conversation again - after all, the longer she stayed in here chatting with Mistel, the less likely the chance she'd run back into Johnny when she left. Their second meeting could certainly wait.

And she couldn't help but be relieved at the thought that Johnny was more than likely of the same mindset right now, without even knowing just how right she was.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Took me long enough, I know - between initially planning to be moved out of Florida by this time, having my plans sidelined by an ill-timed car accident (I'm fine, everyone's fine, now I just wait on my car to be fixed), stress, and being stuck on what to do with this chapter and where to go, and who to include - I'll admit, writing has been a bit of a struggle for me recently. But, I wanted to at least get this one updated since I've been having an unholy amount of trouble with my _Suikoden II_ story, and thankfully, I managed to get a few more character intros in, as tempted as I was to slip Fritz back in somewhere.

So! Johnny's made a few more introductions about town, to mixed results - obaa-chan, her familiar, and Draco Malfoy Jr. are a win, while Ayeka JuraiiiiI mean Elise is a no-go. Play the Mortal Kombat theme when they face off for maximum tension! Meanwhile, Anita from _Grand Bazaar_ and Tito from _Magical Melody_ find out what _really_ happens to the MCs that the player doesn't pick (god help Tito if JackPete comes to town - should be nice and awkward!); Johnny and Eda get some pussy; Jesse possibly encourages cannibalism like any good sibling would; and Mistel diffuses a tense situation, thus robbing us all of a thrilling, no-holds-barred fight to the death. Thanks, ASSHOLE.

Less-sarcastic and much more sincere thanks to The Princess Maker, Durotos, Nomen, and IvyViolet for the reviews! And to Durotos, The Princess Maker, and koukies for the assorted faves/follows! As well as to those reading and following along in the background.

Who will Johnny, Elise, and Fritz meet and piss off next? Will Johnny really throw his wine into the river, or get sauced like a bowl of spaghetti and loosen up a bit? (Or eat a child.) Or perhaps Anita will empty Elise's stores before Tito can take any out. It's hard out there for a cameo character. And will Eda and Johnny survive tutorial mode? Feel free to leave a review, if you'd like, and I'll meet you eventually in chapter 4!


	4. On Second Thought

Chapter 4: On Second Thought

* * *

One hand in his jeans pocket, Johnny trudged through the downpour away from Albrecht's Antiques - the splashback from the puddles soaked the cuffs of his jeans and his socks, seeping in to squish around his boots and rub aggravatingly against his feet. Fine by him. His good mood from meeting Eda and Mika earlier that morning had been considerably soured by his run-in with the snotty nightmare known as Elise, anyway - even though Mistel had at least seemed okay. He briefly thought about texting Jesse to bitch about the incident, but decided against it. Jesse had already dealt with plenty of his griping and whining over the years, as it was. And it wasn't like he hadn't met some decent people to balance out one passive-aggressive witch.

He stood at the intersection by the dimly-lit Oak Tree General Store, listening to the rain pounding against the vinyl of his umbrella and wondering where to go - there wasn't much to do back at the farm just yet except goof around on his laptop and wait for the rain to stop so he could check the roof, and he figured there wasn't much point in doing many more introductions in this weather. And he'd sooner eat glass than have to spend time with Veronica trying to make nice with him. To the north, down Piedmont Road, he could see faint, warm lights glowing through the gloom and mist - Fritz and Giorgio's farms. He couldn't see much else, but pictured Fritz zipping around the farm, soaked to the bone and not giving a rat's ass, impatiently digging up the muddy earth to get a head-start on planting some crops. The mental image improved Johnny's mood a bit and drew out a slight chuckle. He really, really wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what was happening at that moment. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Giorgio was the sort of person to encourage and maybe even join in on this behavior, or watch from a nice, dry shelter, shaking his head and tutting.

 _I'll find out later,_ he decided, eyes flicking around the town and taking in the structures as he ambled forward slowly - from this height, he could see into the distant plaza. A few stragglers milled about between the handful of open kiosks and stalls, their cheerful slickers and umbrellas popping out of the gray, the cobblestones gleaming dully under the lamplights. Straining his eyes a bit, he tried to make out the contents of the open businesses - some sort of health food shop, clothes, and bedding, it looked like. Nothing he particularly needed right now. His eyes drifted over a bit, catching sight of Falkenrath's. Lunchtime _was_ getting closer, and Eda had mentioned that it was open on Sundays. He had still had money left over from his last few papers after chipping in his usual share of rent and utilities with Jesse. And after Elise, he needed a slice of pie, or an ice cream sundae as big as Jesse's old F-150, or maybe a cake the size of Texas to improve his mood any further. He'd already had some fruit that morning. Fruit was technically healthy. And aside from some slight love handles starting to form, he was still quite skinny. He could use the extra calories to store away for when he started farming. Get his energy up. And sugar provided plenty of energy. So did caffeine. He'd be a walking battery by the end of the day. _Powered by 100% bullshit._

Patting himself on the back for his own troll-logic justification, Johnny trooped off down the stairs towards the restaurant - between the early hour and the rain, he didn't think it'd be terribly packed. He could keep pacing himself on the introductions. Swinging the door open, he was greeted with a pleasant chime, a rush of warm air carrying the scent of cooked meats, vegetables, and freshly-baked bread, and the sound of light chatter - as he suspected, there weren't too many customers in the cozy, well-lit building. A handful of people occupied just a few of the many dark tables topped with white-and-red cloths, and the green leather-upholstered stools at the counter - some eating alone, some with a friend or two. A few pairs of curious eyes glanced over in his direction before returning to their own business. As he stomped his boots dry on the green mat just inside the doorway and deposited his umbrella in one of the stands, a pretty, orange-haired girl about his age came up to him, freckled face beaming in a wide grin.

"Afternoon, there! Welcome to Falkenrath's - I'm Maya," she greeted with a little bow, a tray and small stack of menus under one arm. She wore a dark skirt, white blouse, and maroon vest with shiny brass buttons, and her curls hung down her back in a loose ponytail - Johnny vaguely recognized her as the girl Fritz had been chatting with at the station the other day. "Would you like a seat?" she went on. Johnny gave a small nod, and her grin widened a bit as she motioned for him to follow. "We've got booths, tables, barstools - well, I guess you can see that for yourself, though," she added, rolling her blue eyes with a self-deprecating little giggle and giving herself a light smack on the temple. "I mean, _duh_ , right?"

Johnny couldn't help but give a slight grin at this, and shrugged. "It's cool. So, yeah... I guess the bar's alright," he decided, following Maya over to the counter, where two other people were already seated.

"Alrighty, then! So, here's your menu, and just let me know when you're ready to order!" she told him as he hopped up to seat himself one stool down from another girl around his and Maya's age, who was tucking into a large Greek salad and engrossed in a book. "Can I get you anything to drink, ahh...?"

"Oh!" He looked up from his opened menu. "Johnny."

Nodding smartly, Maya finger-gunned at him and clicked her tongue in a manner highly reminiscent of Fritz. "Johnny! Got it! Well, take your time, alright?"

After taking a moment to browse the menu, Johnny settled on hot cocoa with marshmallows, with Maya jotting the order down and assuring him with a wink that it would be out "in a jiff!" before slipping behind the counter and into the kitchen to relay the order. While he waited, Johnny spun around on his stool - resisting the very strong urge to spin himself around and around like a top - and looked around at the others dining in, wondering who here was a local, and who was just passing through.

Though close to bordering the Pacific, Oak Tree was also positioned fairly close by a number of other small farming, fishing, and mining communities, and tended to act as a sort of hub or rest stop for people going from one town to another if the train seemed too impractical, as well as conducting trade relations with many towns and cities in the region. He knew Angelo was originally from Zephyr Town, a little hamlet in the northeastern part of the region which played host to a comparatively huge bazaar, and Danny's ex - whom Johnny had met once before - had moved from Twin Bluffs to one of the towns further down the coast a few years ago to become a farmer. _Small world,_ he thought with a little hum, realizing a moment too late that he'd started attracting puzzled stares while he'd been spacing out, gazing blankly at one of the occupied tables. A dark-haired boy in his teens glared back at him and mouthed ' _What?',_ arms open in a challenging gesture. With an embarrassed hunch of his shoulders and a jolt of irritation at the punk's attitude, Johnny shook his head and spun back around to face the counter, palming his forehead and groaning.

"Hey."

In his peripheral vision, Johnny saw Greek salad girl looking over at him curiously, fork set down in her bowl. She had shoulder-length, sandy-brown hair spilling out from under a green-and-gold knit cap, and a round, cherubic face. He raised his eyebrows and hummed in response, tensing himself in case she also took some sort of umbrage with him.

"So, this's kinda reaching, but - you said 'Johnny,' right?" the girl went on, getting a nod. She smiled, turning to face him while resting one elbow on the counter and propping her cheek on her fist. Legs crossed, other arm draped across her lap of her white jeans. Casual. Orange eyes bright and inquisitive. "Like, Weiss? Ronnie's nephew? One of the new farmers?"

"That'd be me," he confirmed, figuring he was meeting another one of the townsfolk.

The girl rapped her knuckles triumphantly on the polished mahogany. "Aha! Knew it! I mean, you guys don't really look all that alike or anything, but I figured. Thought I saw you strolling about with Ronnie and that Fritz dude the other day. I would've said my hellos, but I was just getting off work, and I was _super-_ super exhausted. I work at a wildlife refuge south of here, see. Love it to pieces, but the ride back takes _foreeeeverrrr_ due to the traffic."

Determining that she seemed harmless enough as well, Johnny decided to try and keep the conversation going while he waited for his cocoa, slightly intimidated by her rambling nature: "Ah. You a local, or no?" He cringed internally as he heard the "or no?" slip out at the end of his question - he really needed to do something about that - but kept his face politely inquisitive nonetheless. It wasn't like it was _that_ conspicuous.

"Yeppers!" The girl nodded, turning to take another forkful of salad and talking as she chewed, pointing the fork at him: "Nocchu, though, righ'?"

"Err. Right," he answered after a moment. Jesse sometimes did the same thing when he ate, and Johnny couldn't help but shudder at it a little. "I'm from Laineston."

Swallowing, the girl hummed and tilted her head. "Yeah, I heard Angela mention you were moving from there a couple days ago... but are you from around _here_ originally? Like, I mean this part of the country," she elaborated. "Just, you've got kind of this Midwestern thing going on. Or Canadian, maybe? 'Oh! Johnny,'" she repeated in a passable, albeit slightly-exaggerated imitation - she made him sound like the mom from _Bobby's World,_ almost. _Ohh. Jahhnny._

Johnny's face warmed slightly at this, even though the girl hadn't come across as mocking. It had already been seven years, and he still hadn't been able to totally shake the damn accent yet. Though, he supposed that was partly from hanging around Jesse so much - Jesse's accent was a little stronger than his, due to a few more years' worth of exposure. "Err - yeah, I'm originally from Wisconsin," he confirmed in a mumble. Though, he supposed, it could've been worse. He could've been from Alabama, like Danny.

Now picking up her glass of juice to take a swig, the girl wiped her mouth and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Ah, okay! Just curious. I've heard it's really nice over there. I was born and raised here myself, see? But I figured you might've been from around there - my mom's from Minnesota, so she's got that, 'Ohh, ya, you betcha' thing going on, you know what I'm saying?" She spoke at a fairly quick and easy pace, a slight huskiness to her voice that seemed at odds with her youthful appearance.

Johnny chuckled at that. She seemed a little nosy, but overall harmless so far. "Sounds kinda like my brother sometimes. 'You need money for gas, or no? You wanna come with to El Magnífico Taco tonight, or no?'" Never mind that he did it almost twice as much as Jesse. Like she had to know that.

The girl smiled at this, before giving a start. "Oh! Geez, I almost forgot! Agate," she finished, causing Johnny's brows to suddenly pull into a sudden frown as she extended her hand.

He looked from the hand, back up to her. "...Uhh, excuse me?" he asked, tone becoming defensive.

Cheeks going a bit pink, the girl drew her hand back and shook her head with a self-conscious laugh. "No, I mean - that's my name. Agate Emerson. You know, agate, like the gemstone?"

Relaxing a little, Johnny nodded, suddenly feeling a bit stupid and flushing as well, as he stuck his own hand out for a quick shake. "Oh." Now that she'd brought it up, he was suddenly all too aware of how he sounded when he said it. "Okay - sorry. I... err... thought you said-"

Agate waved it off, cutting him off with another awkward laugh. "You're good - not the first person to think I said... something else. You can call me 'Aggie,' if you want. Yeesh," she went on, shaking her head ruefully. "My parents just _had_ to do the 'unique' thing, you know? I couldn't be a Crystal, or a Jade, or an Amber, nooope."

"...I could see you as an Amber," Johnny agreed after a moment's thought. Any further conversation was interrupted by the kitchen door swinging open, Maya emerging with her tray and Johnny's hot cocoa. His eyes lit up upon seeing the mound of cinnamon-dusted whipped cream peeking over the top of the mug, which was set down in front of him, along with a wrapped peppermint stick.

"Tadaaaa!" Maya sang, drowning out Johnny's thanks. "There you go! So, anything else I can get you?"

Turning back to the menu momentarily to double-check his options, Johnny nodded, burning his tongue on a quick sip of the cocoa. "Yeah, sure. The mushroom-Swiss burger, medium rare and with extra onions, coleslaw... and a slice of the shortcake."

"Comin' right up!" Maya gave him a quick salute, tucking the pen behind her ear and the notepad under her arm. "Raeger's burgers are super-yummy, so you made a good call! You're not giving him a hard time, are you, Aggie?" she playfully added to the other girl, who was smiling as she chewed the last forkful of salad.

"Oh, you know it, girl! But," Agate went on, letting her fork clatter into the bowl and digging into her coat pockets, "I gotta get back home and give Jax his medicine, so I'm gonna split now." She set the bills and change on the counter, slid off the stool, and gave Johnny and Maya a quick salute. "Catch you guys later! Nice meeting you, Johnny."

"Yep," Johnny called after her, waving the partially-melted peppermint stick he'd been using to stir his cocoa before hastily licking the whipped cream and cinnamon off of it. Behind him, Maya chirped out a quick "Hold tight, 'kay?" and slipped into the kitchen with his order before he could turn and ask her what this "Jax" was. Shrugging, he nibbled on the end of the peppermint stick and whipped out his phone - lo and behold, another text from Jesse awaited him:

 _'Mexican food's got like beans and tomatoes and corn and shit like that tho, lol :P All the veggies. Pwned your ass there, haha. Better get that roof fixed boy! The ppl nice or no?'_

Johnny could at least say he came by his troll logic honestly, that was for sure. Chancing another cautious sip of cocoa - more pleasant than tongue-scalding, this time - he licked a bit of whipped-cream-and-marshmallow mustache off his upper lip and tapped away at the screen: _'Fine. I ate some fruit, Captain Planet, are you happy now? My neighbor left it for me, along with some other food. She's cool. She fed me coffee and has a cat that weighs as much as me, so I approve. But she's also about 80 and she's going to teach me to farm. I have some concerns about this. I also met some other people.'_ He paused and scowled here, pressing his lips into a thin line as Elise once again popped into mind, before shrugging it off. What the hell did he expect Jesse to do about her being stuck-up? Come down to Oak Tree and bitch-slap her? _'I guess they're okay? Not like I've talked to them much, but they don't seem really asshole-y so far. Anyway, just waiting on lunch at a little restaurant right now. Can't start the tutorial shit today since it's raining. We're gonna try for tomorrow. How's domestic bliss with Carl?'_ he added, snickering quietly as he sent the text.

With his brotherly duties of checking in and being a pain in the ass fulfilled for the time being, and nothing else to really do while he waited out his burger, Johnny drummed his fingers on the countertop a few more times before shrugging and pulling up Google to run a search on farming techniques, seasonal crops, and planting tips. Even though Eda was going to give him a proper introduction to the trade anyway, and he'd done a little reading up on the subject before he'd left home, he figured it couldn't hurt to familiarize himself with the process a little bit more before starting in properly.

As his eyes roved over a tutorial on good posture and technique for tilling, the sound of a throat clearing and a young man speaking pulled his attention back upwards:

"'Scuse me, sorry - Johnny, right?"

Johnny looked up and sucked in a sharp breath, feeling his chest go light - the man standing behind the counter was tall and lean, looking somewhere in his early-to-mid-twenties. His thick, strawberry-blond hair was a bit messy and tousled like Fritz's, though the effect looked much more deliberately styled in this case, with side-swept bangs hanging above almond-shaped eyes the color of sea foam. A few strands clung to his forehead with a thin sheen of perspiration that shone under the warm light of the hanging lamps. His own maroon vest and white button-down - similar to Maya's, though covered with various smudges and stains - hinted at an athletic physique, and his smile displayed a professional sort of warmth. Reaching his eyes, but not overly personal.

Johnny could only nod dumbly as he became very, very grateful that he was wearing oversized clothes and sitting down at that moment, and squeaked out a pitiful response: "Okay?"

The waiter held the plate up and nodded to it, looking bemused as he continued to speak: "Alright, then - mushroom-Swiss, medium rare, extra onions, coleslaw, and shortcake?"

"...Yeah, sure," Johnny murmured, his voice oddly husky, hoping he didn't have any peppermint stuck in his teeth. He took the plate and felt an even stronger jolt of electricity zip straight to his groin when the older boy's soft fingertips brushed his own. Most likely, he'd just had an orgasm upon contact. That seemed about right. He could've sworn a soft, inexplicable breeze suddenly swept through the restaurant, as well. Maybe a shower of cherry blossoms even blew by in its wake. Why the hell not? This guy had goddamn pit stains and probably smelled like gym socks, and Johnny still wanted to do him.

"Err!" he added, voice slightly strangled as he hastily set the plate down and gave his head a hard, lust-clearing shake. "Ah! I mean - thanks. Sorry," he added with what he hoped was a disarming chuckle and a self-deprecating grin. With any luck, the ridiculously attractive man would forget Johnny had just acted like a total fucking idiot, and maybe even find him cute. "Food smelled so good, I spaced out, you know? Blond moment." He rapped his knuckles on the side of his head and gave a helpless shrug, while internally wondering just what was going on with his brain. Was it even still there? It didn't _feel_ like it had suddenly oozed out of his ears, but life was full of surprises. He'd been around hot guys before without turning into a drooling idiot. Jesse was friends with Carl and Angelo, after all, even if Carl was straight. He'd met Danny's ex. And it wasn't like he was a virgin... though it wasn't like he had anywhere near an active sex life, either. _Am I just really, really thirsty or something?_ he wondered bleakly. _I mean,_ all _the blood from my brain can't be down there, for fuck's sake._

Laughing along with him, the waiter pursed his lips for a moment, before giving a decisive nod. "Well, I hope you like the taste as much as the smell, then! Maya says those burgers are like my signature dish, you know? Can I get you anything else?"

Before Johnny could blurt out something embarrassing, like "Your phone number," or "Laid _,"_ he caught himself and gave his head another shake. His cheeks were burning all of a sudden. Hell, they were probably giving off steam, like the burger. "Oh, no - I'm fine, thanks. Soooo..." he went on, unrolling the napkin on the edge of the plate and plucking the fork out, "you Raeger, then?"

"The one and only," Raeger confirmed, rubbing the back of his neck and looking pleased. He gave a quick look towards the tables to make sure everything was alright with his sparse crowd of customers, smiled with relief when he spotted Maya checking in on them, and turned his attention back to Johnny. "Veronica's nephew?"

"One of two," Johnny responded, nodding before forking some coleslaw into his mouth and humming with appreciation. He felt a _little_ more at ease now, even if he was still stupidly enraptured by Raeger's... everything. The burger certainly had a tantalizing aroma, and the shortcake looked great. Maybe he was dreaming. He looked around, picking up his burger before turning his attentions back on Raeger. "So - this place all yours, or no?" he went on, taking a bite - a few of the mushrooms and onions started slipping out of the other side from the force, and he let out a startled grunt, letting them drop onto the plate as he chewed. Maya was right - Raeger could cook the hell out of a burger.

Raeger gave a modest shrug and waggled his hand, leaning back against the corner of the counter. "Well, it used to be my grandpa's, technically speaking... he left it to me when he passed away, though, since I spent a lot of time helping him out. Good times, good times," he mused with a wistful smile, before cutting his eyes back to Johnny. "So, how's everything?"

Wiping a bit of sauce off his lips, Johnny gave him an approving nod. "Lives up to the hype," he decided, taking another bite and feeling his stomach flip about at Raeger's pleased grin growing a little wider.

"Great! Well, I've gotta get back to work, but it was nice meeting you Johnny," he said, looking down at his dirty vest with a bit of dismay and wiping futilely at it. "Ahh... yuck. Anyway, let me or Maya know if you need anything else, alright? Hey, Mr. Becker, what's up?" he added suddenly, going over to the older gentleman at the counter who had flagged him down before Johnny could respond.

Feeling his heart rate start to go back down to normal as Raeger left, Johnny nonetheless snuck a quick, discreet glance at the chef's butt and clicked his tongue in approval before turning back to his lunch. Maya checked in on him a few more times before he finally finished and paid, suppressing a cringe at the bill - though not without making sure to leave Maya a decent tip, ruing the fact that he probably wouldn't be able to afford to dine here very often. As he said his goodbyes and thanks to her, he discreetly scanned the restaurant again for another sign of Raeger before giving up and heading back outside. He wasn't exactly sure _why_ the hell Raeger had had such an effect on him - making him less guarded and more social, not to mention kind of stupid - and he had to admit that it was a _little_ unnerving. Still, he found that all the same, the next few months suddenly didn't seem like they'd be so bad after all.

And the rain even seemed to have tapered off for the time being in acknowledgement of things looking up, the chill winding down to a pleasant cool. Humming to himself, Johnny squished his way back up to the farm under the iron sky and over the muddy pathways and slick, squeaky grass, figuring he could check on his roof while he had the chance.

* * *

"-Yeah, and then I was like, 'Whoa, dude, that's my hair, you're gettin' kinda personal there,' but - like... y'know, he was a _goat._ He didn't give a shit, know what I'm sayin'?"

Stifling a snort, Giorgio Salucci shook his head and slid the coop door open to a muffled din of clucks and squawks, motioning for Fritz to follow him inside. "I do, yes. Goats can... err on the side of _pushy_ at times." The scent of fresh wood shavings and leftover feed from that morning hit their nostrils, and a few hens strutted down from their roosts to make their way over curiously. His rooster, Gianni, flapped his wings and crowed at them from his perch - making Fritz jump a little - but otherwise remained where he was. "But," Giorgio went on, lingering in the doorway and letting Fritz get acquainted with the flock, "raised well, with plenty of love and patience, they do make excellent company for a rancher. Great milk. Very omnivorous, though... oh, you'll want to draw your hand back," he warned abruptly, as Fritz had squatted down to try and pet a red hen that was bobbing her head at him. "Vivienne likes to peck strangers-"

And there she went with a war cry, just as foretold, before Fritz could heed the warning. He yelped and jumped up, sucking at the little nip on his finger that was now bleeding, and grinned sheepishly. "Guess I kinda deserved that one," he chuckled, watching as Giorgio shook his head again and pulled a pack of bandages from a shelf by the door. "My folks took me out for Popeye's before I left. She's prolly just all, like, 'YOU! YOU BASTARD!' or somethin'. Right, Vivvo?" he added, finger-gunning at the hen, who had lost interest in him and was making her way back to her nest. "No hard feelings, girl!"

With a good-natured roll of his eyes, Giorgio promptly bandaged the scratch and patted Fritz's shoulder. He was an interesting kid, that was for sure - he'd popped up on Giorgio's porch last night, introducing himself at the speed of light, with a bag still slung over his shoulder and one hell of an enthusiastic handshake. It had been too late in the evening to really start showing him the ropes of farming, though Giorgio had at least invited him in for a quick tea and snack. Fritz had nonetheless bounced out mere minutes later, with a half-eaten cookie in hand as he'd rambled: _"I wanna go meet some more folks, and unpack, and call my folks, but I'll catch ya tomorrow, yeah? So we can do this thing! 'Kay, later, dude!"_

Now, with the morning's rain washing out their plans to tackle the basics, Giorgio figured he could at least give Fritz a tour of Rosewood once the weather took a break - familiarize him with the realities and rewards of what a farmer faced. The animals were all tended to by this point, and Mother Nature had watered his gardens herself. Being eased into the process this slowly had to be killing someone like Fritz. Giorgio wasn't quite sure about his future as a farmer - though he at least had bundles of energy, which was a plus, and he did seem sweet... but Fritz's future in making things a little more interesting around Oak Tree? That one seemed pretty certain, as far as he was concerned.

"She's just a little snitty," Giorgio finally explained, watching a few of his other hens - Coco, Valentina, Betsy, and Vera - shuffle anxiously at their feet. "Though, either way, pecking is an issue you have to be wary of if you wish to raise chickens of your own someday. Some are more docile than others, but they can do some damage with their beaks and talons if provoked. Chickens have hierarchy," he went on, going off on a tangent now , "and Gianni there-" He gestured to the rooster, who tilted his head and eyed them warily, "-is the alpha. Vivienne is next in the pecking order beneath him, and then-" Now, to Betsy, "-Betsy, and Carolina after her... and so forth. Vivienne just gets a touch egotistical about her place in the coop, is all. But Gianni's a good boy." Giorgio smiled at the rooster and wagged an approving finger his way, being met with an indifferent stare as Gianni went back to staring off into space and thinking chicken thoughts. "He swiftly puts a stop to any conflicts that arise, as a good alpha should."

Fritz laughed, bending to brush a bit of down off his blue jeans, but then straightening back up in slight alarm when Betsy took a step towards him and clucked. "Yeesh, sounds like high school!" He'd lost track a bit through Giorgio's rambling - the man sure could go on and on sometimes, and trying to keep track of all the fancy names he gave his animals was tough enough - but Fritz figured he'd gotten the gist of the lesson all the same: _Save the chickens for later. Way later. They ain't as cute as they look. And I probably gotta figure out how to not feel awkward_ eating _chicken while_ raising _chicken... hey, I guess that's where "pecking order" comes from, huh? Hmm._ Fair enough. He really didn't have much experience taking care of animals yet, anyway, aside from helping feed and walk his parents' lazy old bloodhound, Penny - and she'd passed away two years ago.

"In a way, I suppose it sort of is, isn't it?" Giorgio agreed thoughtfully, fingering his smooth, pale chin. Vera walked past him, and he bent down to stroke her gently, though she kept on her way. "Chickens seem simple, but a lot goes into their care... true of any animal, or even crop, really. The key components are quality care, affection, and attention to detail." He counted off on his long, slim fingers as he spoke, turning and sliding the coop door open again. He noticed Fritz following with a slightly-apprehensive look on his face, and gave an understanding nod. "I'm sure it sounds like a lot right off the bat, but with conviction, determination, and a little elbow grease, you'll make it. Come along - I can show you some of the fields now, if you'd like."

"Thanks! I like a good challenge, though, y'know?" Fritz assured him, hands jammed in his jeans pockets as they made their way out of the muddy pen.. The cuff got caught on the chicken wire as he stepped over it, and he gave it a light tug to pull it free. "Should help me out better with rememberin' stuff, too. Freakin' ADHD, ya know?" he explained off of Giorgio's curious look. "Mind don't wanna stay in one place." He gave himself a little knock on the side of the head and flashed a silly grin, shrugging. "Buuuut, Ritalin made me a total zombie, and I got - like... super-obsessed with _The Sims_ while I was on this other stuff, don't even _ask_ me the name, so my folks just figured maybe I should go off the meds and I'd just grow out of it. Err... _hopefully,_ " he finished with a small frown stitching his brow.

Giorgio hummed, arms crossed over the front of his violet turtleneck and head tilted in thought as they ambled towards a large patch of herbs. "Well, like I said before - attention to detail is very important in this profession. As is patience - you won't see results overnight, of course. And persistence!" He pounded a fist into his palm at this last point, russet eyes shining, while Fritz hung back and watched uncertainly.

"Err-"

"Take my garden, here, for instance," Giorgio went on, sweeping one thin-yet-toned arm out to indicate the patch before them, glimmering with leftover rainwater. "Basil. Mint. Parsley. Thyme. Oregano. And rosemary, which is exceptionally hardy. The temperature can hit below freezing - and it will, believe you me," he warned, wagging a finger at Fritz, "but rosemary sticks it out. It's tough, it's adaptable. If you ask me, it symbolizes what any farmer should strive to be."

"...I think my dad puts that stuff in spaghetti sauce," Fritz supplied after a moment of silence, one hand on his hip, and the other scratching behind his ear. "You cook with this stuff, or you sell it?"

Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh, Giorgio wiggled his hand a bit. "A little of both. Really, most of my money on this farm comes from my animals, to tell you the truth. I do a little modeling on the side for extra income, though once you hit your thirties, that sort of work just-" He snapped his fingers, "-starts drying up quite fast. A pity, really."

"Uh... huh. That sucks," Fritz agreed awkwardly, trying to picture Giorgio as a model. The man was tall and thin, in his early thirties with an angular face - he had some vaguely-obvious muscle tone under his loose sweater and slacks from nearly a decade of farm work, but still looked in danger of a stiff breeze throwing him across the farm. Fritz was under the impression that guys who modeled tended to be... well, _buff_ , for lack of a better word. Ripped. Manly. Like The Rock, or that other bald guy from the _Fast and Furious_ movies. Though, Giorgio did have really nice hair - thick and wavy, a pale sort of rosey-blond that fell just past his pointed chin. _Maybe he was a shampoo model or something? Ooh, or maybe it's a wig?! Not that I can ask him, but - ah, focus, man!_ "So," he went on after wrenching his brain back on-topic, searching for another question to ask as they made their way to another patch - of flowers, this time: "You grow any vegetables or anything? I see a lotta flowers and herbs and stuff, but..."

The corner of Giorgio's mouth quirked up in a tiny smirk. "Well, this is a bit shameful for a farmer to admit, but... the typical spring crops really don't do it for me. I'm not too wild about turnips and potatoes. They make decent money, don't get me wrong - and they're great for newbies such as yourself to start off with. But like I said, my animals tend to hold their own in that department. So, I just tend to plant more flowers and herbs during spring... a few patches of strawberries. I keep a _few_ little plots of vegetables up there-" He pointed to a tilled plot of land closer to the front of his farm, even as they neared a more colorful patch of flowers, "-but they're mainly so I can cook up little treats for others every now and then. Usually, just for festivals, or get-togethers. Sometimes as birthday presents."

Fritz, having squatted down to peer at a colorful carpet of pansies, looked up at Giorgio with his eyebrows raised. "Gotta keep track of a lot, huh?" he asked, hoping his nerves weren't too obvious in his voice. Maybe he could stand to invest in a notebook, or something...

"You do, yes," Giorgio answered airily, crouching down beside Fritz to inspect the flowers as well. He hummed in satisfaction, standing back upright and giving his arms a quick stretch. After following up with a roll of his neck and shoulders, he turned to make his way back towards the house, with Fritz popping up behind him after a moment, and scampering to catch up. "It may seem intimidating at first. You have to keep track of so much, and hope nature doesn't decide to strip you of everything you have on a whim."

Fritz gulped, halting at the foot of the porch stairs.

"...But," Giorgio continued thoughtfully, leaning forward against the railing now and surveying the land, "it can be very rewarding, too, so long as you keep at it. If you're the type to get discouraged easily and let setbacks bring you down, well... find another profession, I say." When he saw Fritz bite his lip and give a hesitant nod, Giorgio shrugged nonchalantly. "It may sound harsh, but it's the truth. Still - you'd do well to just start off small and slow. Just don't rush yourself into trying to become some sort of world-class, master farmer, hmm? You're young, yet. You've got time to learn, and fumble, and get it wrong, and then get it right."

Letting out a deep breath, Fritz nodded again. Despite Giorgio's encouragement, it all still sounded... overwhelming. Maybe it was just moving in next to such a big farm, run by a veteran like Giorgio? The man's tendency to lapse into dramatic, long-winded speeches didn't help, like he was reciting a monologue for a movie. Maybe he and Elise were related. Fritz suddenly felt like switching places with Johnny - Eda might have had far more time put into her farm over the years, but it was much more modest. It might be easier to take in. Johnny seemed more together, more composed, more prepared to handle this kind of intimidation. Maybe Eda even had a few little tricks and shortcuts up her sleeve, and - _Okay, chill! One thing at a time, damn. You don't even know how to plant shit, yet!_ he scolded himself, now wishing he'd thought to check on how the different plots and patches were tilled. _He's right. You gotta take it slow. You can fuck up a little bit and bounce back, it ain't gonna kill you, and nobody's gonna think you're stupid, or some dumbass hick, or whatever. And if they do, whatever! You're gonna be nineteen in a couple days! You're an adult now, you can deal! Chill!_

Giorgio's concerned voice merged into his racing thoughts, having continued speaking to him this whole time: "Are you alright, Fritz?"

"Huh?! Oh - oh, yeah, yep," Fritz managed, realizing he'd been staring off into space for a short while. "Sorry, dude - think my brain just, y'know, jammed up for a sec there! I'm cool, I'm cool."

"Mmm. Well, I think with the rain, the soil's still going to be a bit too wet to till for the day," Giorgio told him, "but it's supposed to taper off by six tonight, and then tomorrow should be dryer. I was thinking maybe you could help me with my fields after I've taken care of my animals, and if you feel up to it, we could perhaps get you started on your own fields afterwards. No rush, just the basics of it all. I have some extra spring seeds in storage - I think a little of this and that, I'll have to check to be sure - but they're fairly basic crops. What do you say? I usually finish with the animals by... about eight-thirty."

"Eight-thirty... just the basics," Fritz repeated in a murmur, now finding himself wondering if even _that_ might prove too complex for him. Would he wind up looking stupid? Anything would seem basic to a pro like Giorgio, wouldn't it? Trying to shove the doubts aside once more, he let the excitement burst up into place instead - he wouldn't know unless he tried, right? He'd gotten this far, after all. _You used your graduation money on this thing, dude! Go for it!_ Feeling his heart flutter with both fear and anticipation, he nodded, holding out a fist for Giorgio to bump, the older man looking amused by the gesture. "Alrighty, then, Gio! Err, can I call ya Gio? Cool, cool, cool. It's a date! Catch ya tomorrow, then!"

Giorgio nodded. "You'll do well to bring that energy along with you. Get to bed early and eat a good breakfast in the morning, then. Generally, farmers tend to get up closer to five, or six, before getting to work."

Fritz's eyes almost bugged out at this, causing Giorgio to smirk. "Holy crap! Yeesh... no more all-nighters for me, huh? Ah, well... bring it on, I say! Alrighty, I'm gonna jet, I'm kinda starvin' now - later, Gio! And thanks for the tour!" he added as he jogged backwards, waving and splashing, before turning and running back to his own farm.

In light of everything he'd just tried to take in, Fritz now felt a little more intimidated as the colorful, well-maintained buildings of Rosewood Farm were traded out for the run-down, drab little shacks dotting... his farm. _Probably could stand to name this place, but... ahhh, one thing at a time! Maybe I'll go stop by Al's later and nab that notebook._ Still, Giorgio's advice about starting slow and staying patient and persistent were at least sticking with him, for now. He just had to slow it down a little bit. Get a feel for it first. Not bank on becoming an overnight success, as great as that sounded in his head. And spare himself some time to try and make some more friends in town.

His thoughts whirled around and around as he milled about the tiny little cramped kitchen, fixing himself a BLT and trying to ease his flip-flopping stomach before he could start eating - he really wished he had some way to burn off this surplus of nervous energy. Maybe he could do some cleaning? Fix up a few things before the rain started back up again? Anything to calm down for a bit. He could do this. Giorgio was going to help start him off tomorrow. He was going to be fine here. This wasn't some exam he was psyching himself up for, after all. It was just possibly the rest of his life.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hi. I'm alive after all. Surprise. Here's a summary of my life since my last writing: Move, work, work, work, computer problems/new laptop/laptop problems/new hard drive, work, no time, writer's block, work, work, work, you know you're always on that night shift, work, catch-up (games, movies, TV, reading, reviewing), work. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, so I know I'm a bit rusty. It took me a while to decide where to go with this, since it's still in the set-up/intro stages. The day-by-day things. I don't know if Fritz or Elise's arc is shaping up to be tougher to write, but we'll see. Ah, slice-of-life multichapter. (And, of course, this isn't the only story I have to focus on. I'm hoping to jump back to Stumbling Out of the Shadows soon, too. And Days Ahead, someday...)

But, at long last, chapter 4 is done! Thanks for your patience. So, Agate's offensive name almost #triggers Cheese-Head Johnny, and he literally can't even. But all is well when he meets Raeger and jizzes in his pants, thus changing his opinions of Oak Tree Town for the time being. Someone didn't read the pairing tags. Asshole. Meanwhile, Fritz gets attacked by DEATH CHICKEN in the Haus of Salucci, and finds his head all aflutter with anxiety. Can't get nothin' done, anxiety. Spoils all the fun. Doubts rising to the surface (in a boy who wears a suit of armor to a fashion show), or did Vivienne inject something sinister into his bloodstream...? Either way, thrill as he freezes Oak Tree Town in a panic attack next! (Or maybe all this snow in Jersey is just getting to me.)

So! Thanks are in order, not just for everyone's patience in waiting for this thing to update. Thanks to Durotos, ben4kevin, IvyViolet, The Princess Maker, aaaaaand WananGN for your reviews on the last chapter! Also to WananGN, flootweedmac (I love this name, just saying), and Mothulhu (this name, too) for the favorites/bookmarks. Hope this chapter was worth the wait!

So - will Johnny get the chance to jump Raeger, the mind-clouding, pit-stained escapee from a BL dating sim? (Well, assuming Raeger even swings that way...) Will he fix his roof, or return home to find he now inhabits Atlantis? Will Fritz fuck up his first proper farming lesson and accidentally nuke Rosewood Farm - or worse, fall to a swarm of Cuccos headed by Vivienne? How _is_ Jesse's heterosexual life partnership with Carl going? And have any of Elise's servants murdered her yet? Will any of these questions even be answered next chapter?! Feel free to leave a review, and I'll see you in chapter 4!


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